On the Foreign Scene
Afropop singer-songwriter Salif Keita, a prominent figure in Malian music, has been designated a special advisor to Colonel Assimi Goita, the leader of the country’s military junta.
This appointment was made through a decree issued on August 11 and published late on Monday.
Keita is one of five advisors named in the decree, which does not provide specific information about his new responsibilities.
Salif Keita, aged 73, has shown his support for the junta and its emphasis on national sovereignty. He has also called for the withdrawal of United Nations peacekeeping forces from Mali. Recently, he announced his resignation from a junta-appointed legislature without specifying a reason. In his resignation letter, he affirmed his unwavering friendship with the country’s soldiers.
Since 2012, Mali has been grappling with a security crisis stemming from a regional insurgency in the northern part of the country. This insurgency was fueled by jihadist groups that expanded their influence into Mali’s central regions, as well as the neighboring countries of Burkina Faso and Niger, starting in 2015.
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