00:00Less than two weeks after a coordinated wave of attacks struck Mali, the country's junta leader
00:06has appointed a new chief of the general staff to the armed forces.
00:10Élysée Jean Dao took office on Wednesday after being promoted from brigadier general in the
00:16National Guard to the rank of major general. Dao takes over from Umar Diara, who has been named
00:22minister delegate to the minister of defence. That's a role now held by Mali's transitional
00:29president and junta leader, General Assami Goita. Former defence minister Sadio Kamara was killed
00:36by a car bomb during last month's attacks. The reshuffle comes after the army said it has
00:43solid evidence that certain military personnel helped with the planning coordination and execution
00:49of the April 25th offensive. According to media reports, several members of the military and
00:56opposition have been detained or abducted in the wake of the attacks. Mali has been under
01:03military rule since the 2020 coup that brought Assami Goita to power.
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