Assimi Goita (born 9 November 1983) is a Malian politician and military officer who has ruled Mali since 2021. He has served as the sixth president of Mali since 2025, previously serving as the interim vice president under Interim President Bah Ndaw from 2020 to 2021 and then as the interim president until 2025. He also served as the president of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) from 2024 to 2025.
Born in Bamako, Goita graduated from the Joint Military School in 2002 and was later assigned to the 134th Reconnaissance Squadron in Gao. Goita also attended advanced military training and courses in Germany, Gabon, France and the United States. Following a coup in August 2020, Goita became Mali's de facto leader as chairman of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, a military junta that seized power from former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. The following month, Goita was appointed the interim vice president under the new interim president Bah Ndaw, to whom Goita had transferred power in response to international pressure.
In May 2021, following a dispute in the government, Goita seized power from Ndaw in another coup and was subsequently appointed interim president. His rule has seen increased authoritarianism domestically, as well as strained relations with ECOWAS, the United Nations, and France. Goita's government cut military ties with France and became allied with Russia and the Wagner Group. In January 2024, Goita announced Mali's withdrawal from ECOWAS and later formed the AES with Ibrahim Traoré and Abdourahamane Tiani, the military leaders of Burkina Faso and Niger respectively.
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Early life and military career
Goita was born in 1983. A member of the Minianka tribe and the son of a military officer, he was trained in the military academies of Mali and notably attended the Prytanée Militaire de Kati and the Joint Military School in Koulikoro.
Goita served as a colonel in the Autonomous Special Forces Battalion, the special forces unit of the Malian Armed Forces. He commanded the Malian special forces in the center of the country with the rank of colonel, and took part in the jihadist insurgency in Mali. In 2018, he met the future Guinean coup leader and president Mamady Doumbouya.
Goita received further military training from the United States, France, and Germany, and had experience working with United States Army Special Forces.
Coup leader and President of Mali
First coup d'état and vice presidency (2020)
Goita served as the leader of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, a group of rebels who overthrew Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in the 2020 Malian coup d'état, and have pledged to initiate new elections to replace him. Because of this pledge, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) pressured Mali's ruling junta to ensure that the country would be led by a civilian.
On 21 September, Goita was named interim vice president by a group of 17 electors, with Bah Ndaw being appointed interim president. They were to hold the position for 18 months, until new elections. He took the oath of office on 25 September 2020. On 1 October 2020, the "Mali Transition Letter" was published where it was specified, in response to the request of ECOWAS, that the vice president "in charge of defense and security issues" would not be able to replace President Bah Ndaw.
Second coup d'état and current rule (2021–present)
Goita was involved in a second coup d'état on 24 May 2021, after which he seized power. President Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were detained. Goita claimed that Ndaw was attempting to "sabotage" the transition to democracy, and committed to elections in 2022. The coup was instigated by Goita's claim that Ndaw failed to consult him about a cabinet reshuffle. It was alleged that one of the motives for the latest coup was the removal of Colonel Sadio Camara as defense minister. Camara was reinstated as defense minister by Goita following his takeover.
On 28 May 2021, the constitutional court declared him interim president of Mali. The court ruling stated that Goita should carry the title "president of the transition, head of state" to "lead the transition process to its conclusion". On the same day, he said that he would name a prime minister from the M5-RFP coalition. Choguel Kokalla Maïga was eventually nominated to form a cabinet. On 20 July 2021, Goita was attacked by a knife-wielding man while praying at the Grand Mosque in Bamako amid festivities for the Eid al-Adha. The attacker was then immediately arrested after failing to stab the President. Overall two men were arrested by the security forces. One of them was, however, found to be a special forces soldier wrongly assumed to be the attacker's accomplice. The knifeman, identified as a teacher, died in custody five days after the attack. The cause of death is unknown.On 23 June 2023, a constitutional referendum took place, with 97% of voters supporting the adoption of the proposed constitution. 39.4% of registered voters participated in the referendum. The new constitution was controversial, with critics alleging that the referendum was compromised and that the new constitution would make democratic reforms less likely. On 25 July 2023, it was announced that Goita had pardoned 46 soldiers from Ivory Coast that had been sentenced in December 2022. In July 2023, Goita attended the 2023 Russia–Africa Summit in Saint Petersburg in his first foreign visit since the 2021 coup. After the summit ended, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Russia's ongoing economic and humanitarian support for Mali. During the meeting, Goita accused countries sanctioning Mali of engaging in a "neocolonialist practice", according to a transcript by the Kremlin.Goita declared his support for the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) junta in Niger in the wake of the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état, and the CNSP later gave the Malian Armed Forces permission to enter Niger. In October 2023, Goita held a telephone conversation with Putin, his third in less than two months, in which they discussed trade and security relations. Goita later publicly "expressed [his] gratitude for all the support that Russia provides to Mali."
Economic policies
Under Goita the government's stake in mining projects increases from 20% to 35%, with an option to acquire an additional 10%. Companies must pay new taxes and settle tax arrears, or face severe penalties. He advocates nationalization, which is shown in two mines, the Morila and Yatela mines, now entirely under state control. Additionally, an audit commissioned by Goita allegedly revealed "irregularities" in mining contracts.
Public image
Assimi Goita portrays himself as the "Defender and Liberator of Mali" and as a "Exceptional man in exceptional times", this mirrors with Malian myths and traditions. The national liberation rhetoric of Goita is described as conservative populist rather than as traditional left-wing revolutionary one.
Personal life
Goita is married to Lala Diallo. He is Muslim.