The Place d’Armes of the 34th Military Engineering Regiment served as the setting, on Friday January 20, 2023, for the ceremony of the 62nd anniversary of the Malian Army. This symbolic ceremony was placed under the presidency of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Colonel Assimi GOÏTA. It also recorded the presence of the Prime Minister, Dr Choguel Kokalla MAIGA, the Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs, Colonel Sadio CAMARA, members of the government, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Oumar DIARRA, Chiefs of Staff and Directors of Services, foreign partners as well as administrative, religious and customary authorities of the District of Bamako.

Since 6 a.m., the troop had been on the military engineering square with arms slung over their shoulders. She was in regular dress, her spirits high. In a very impressive atmosphere, the Place d’Armes refused people. At 7:50 a.m., the event began with the colors ceremony. The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, General of Division, Oumar DIARRA first made the troop review to inquire about the arrangements made by the various Heads of Section, under the command of Colonel Ismaël DIAKITE. Same exercise carried out by the Minister of Defense Camara preceding that of the Supreme Chief of the Armed Forces.

Upon his arrival, the President of the Transition, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Colonel Assimi GOÏTA, saluted the flag before reviewing the troops on foot. He then went to the stand of honor to greet the distinguished guests before settling down for the rest of the ceremony.

The military Prytanée band amazed the audience through figures containing a strong message for peace while the order of battle was taking shape for the parade. This military parade, the highlight of the ceremony, took place under the notes of the National band. For the occasion the troop was commanded by the troop commander, Colonel Ismaël DIAKITE.

The order of battle was as follows, the flag and its guard, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Prytanée Militaire de Kati, the AMA-SNJ, the Penitentiary Administration, the Waters and Forests, the Malian Customs, the Protection Civil, the National Police, the National Gendarmerie, the Central Directorate of the Health Service of the Armies, the Directorate of Equipment, Hydrocarbons and Transport of the Armies, the Directorate of Transmissions and Telecommunications of the Armies, the Directorate of the Commissariat of the Armed Forces, the Military Engineering, the National Guard, the Air Force, the Army, the Directorate of Military Sports. To everyone’s surprise, a parade of Air Force aircraft ended the parade.

The Minister of Defense and Former Commander, Colonel Sadio CAMARA, in his speech, reassured the Malian people that his army will fulfill its responsibilities with determination to make Mali a haven of peace. He thanked the President of the Transition for his leadership, the Malian people for their constant support and the efforts of the Government. According to Colonel Sadio CAMARA, this leadership has reassured those who continue, day and night in the hills, the swamps, to operate in difficult conditions to help the populations living in areas under tension.

“The Army is the bulwark of Sovereignty and the morale of men maintaining their combativeness”, he hammered. For him, the operational capacity of our units has reached an admiring level in accordance with the vision and ambition of the President of the Transition for the Defense and Security Forces. And to add that the FDS are proud to have a powerful defense tool. The MDAC did not fail to underline the enormous efforts that the government has made with the acquisition of equipment, rolling stock, air and intelligence and all these on own funds.

For him, this commitment of the political authorities of the transition to the rise of the FAMa has contributed to the improvement of living and working conditions, to the coherence and fluidity of orders between the political and tactical levels.

It should be noted that this 62nd anniversary of the Malian Army took place under the admiring gaze of the populations who came out massively to witness this grandiose event. All were in communion with the Armed and Security Forces.

Source: MALIAN ARMED FORCES