Asimi Guetta a young Malian officer who overthrows two presidents within 10 months

Asimi Guetta

The young Colonel Assimi Guetta, who overthrew two presidents in the state of Mali in just a few months, is one of the most influential officers in Bamako, and he is one of the soldiers who have special training in several countries such as France and the United States of America.

On Tuesday, May 25th, Vice President Assime Guetta announced the removal of Transitional President Bah Ndaw, Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, in protest against his marginalization during a cabinet reshuffle.

This is the second coup led by Guetta against a head of state in a matter of months after he overthrew former President Ibrahim Keita in August 2020.

Colonel Asimi Guetta, born in 1983, is an officer and head of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, the military council that seized power from former President Ibrahim Abu Bakr Keita in the 2020 Mali coup.

Guetta served as a colonel in the Independent Special Forces Battalion, trained with the United States, France, and Germany, and has experience working with US Special Forces.

Congrats #MLI Assimi Goita for joining a great network. @USAfricaCommand @USEmbassyMali https://t.co/zkgC8cFioW pic.twitter.com/g1eHUngIbp

- Geo. C Marshall Ctr (@ marshall_Center) August 4, 2016

During the ouster of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the young colonel presented himself as the head of the National Committee for the Rescue of the People, where he was the commander of the Special Forces battalion stationed in the central region.

He declared: Mali is in a socio-political and security crisis. We no longer have the right to make mistakes. Through this intervention, we placed the country above all else ... financial first. ”

Asimi Guetta ... Quiet Officer

According to soldiers who knew him during his career, the young officer is “a quiet man” and does not resemble generals who led previous coups in Mali.

Like many commanders of the Special Forces, Guita began his military career in the Army of Katy, he is also a graduate of the Military School in Koulikuru and upon his graduation was assigned to the 134th Reconnaissance Squadron in Gao between 2002 to 2005, before being sent to Kidal, where he remained until 2008.

He then commanded a combat group in combating terrorist groups and drug trafficking until 2010, before joining the Special Forces in 2014.

In August 2016, he participated in an internship at the George C European Center for Security Studies and the European Marshall Center for Security Studies, both of the US and German Defense Departments.

Colonel Guetta was the commander of the independent battalion of special forces and war centers, which was established in May 2018 and is based in Mopti, in the center of the country, and this position promoted him to the rank of deputy chief of staff of the army.

A Malian officer said of him, “His rank and position give him a good reputation in the rest of the army, even outside his battalion ... it is really an elite unit, and it is well trained.

Members of the battalion, under Colonel Guetta, regularly operate with the US Armed Forces in the field. They also participate in "Flintlock" exercises that bring together elements from several African armies and American soldiers in the same exercises.

The battalion is responsible for planning, coordinating and implementing counterterrorism operations, assisting in intelligence gathering and transmission, supporting conventional forces when needed, and providing protection to local authorities in the central region.

According to information by financial media, Colonel Guetta was summoned to Bamako in the summer of 2020, to participate in preserving order in the face of the demonstrations that were demanding the departure of former President Boubacar Keita from power, to turn into the head of the People's Salvation Committee and lead a coup that overthrew the former president.