Mali’s Colonel Assimi Goita was sworn into office as the country’s transitional president on Monday despite international condemnation of his latest power grab, the second coup he has led in nine months.
Goita, who ousted Mali’s interim president and prime minister in May, assumed office in a ceremony at the International Conference Centre in Bamako.
France has also suspended joint military operations with Malian forces, and stopped giving military advice.
The former colonial power has thousands of troops stationed in the semi-arid Sahel to help fight jihadist violence that erupted in Mali in 2012 and now threatens the region.
Monday’s ceremony was expected to clear the path towards appointing a civilian prime minister – a key international demand.
Speaking ahead of the event, a diplomat said ambassadors planned to stay away from the ceremony, sending more junior envoys instead.
France and Mali’s other partners want assurances that a civilian administration will be back in power come February 2022.
