(Ecofin Agency) - During his address to the nation at the country’s 61st anniversary, Colonel Assimi Goïta announced his ambition to build a war school in Mali. The plan, according to him, is to provide "high-level training” for senior army officers.

“The school will provide the defense and security forces with an effective tool for reflection, research, and analysis of strategic issues. Acquiring such expertise is essential to face the challenges and issues related to the planning and conduct of operations,” Colonel Assimi Goïta said.

Like other countries in the Sahel, Mali has been facing terrorist attacks since the end of the Tuareg rebellion in 2012. The country has received support from France via Operation Barkhane and nearly 12,000 UN forces were deployed. However, due to their ineffectiveness in ending the crisis, Mali is looking for other alternatives to ramp up its military capabilities.

The transitional government’s long-term goal is to have an autonomous army capable of facing all security challenges. As a reminder, the military junta was recently criticized for allegedly making a deal with the Russian mercenary group Wagner. The information has sparked an outcry from France and the rest of the international community, which warned that the situation could affect their relations with Mali.

Responding to the controversy, the Malian Prime Minister Choguel Maïga said last September 16 that "we cannot be deprived of the right to have our army trained by one country simply because another country does not agree."

Jean-Marc Gogbeu (intern)