Mali

• Madam President of the General Assembly,
• Ladies and Gentlemen Heads of State and Government,
• Mr. Secretary-General of the United Nations,
• Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset of my remarks, I have the honor to convey to you cordial greetings and to transmit the messages of the Founding Fathers of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES): Their Excellencies Army General Assimi Goïta, President of the Transition, Head of State of the Republic of Mali, President of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES); Captain Ibrahim Traoré, President of Faso, Head of State; and Army General Abdourahamane Tiani, President of the Republic of Niger, Head of State. Please also receive the warm greetings of the dignified people of the AES, more determined than ever to free themselves from the yoke of imperialism and to achieve their self-determination in a pan-Africanist spirit.

In conveying to you the wishes for success of the Confederation of Sahel States on your election to the presidency of this 80th session of the General Assembly, Madam President, I congratulate, at the same time, your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Philémon Yang, of the Republic of Cameroon, for his exemplary leadership during the work of the 79th session.

Allow me finally to reiterate to the Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, our appreciation for the efforts he continues to make toward the achievement of the noble objectives of our common Organization.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The theme of this 80th session of the General Assembly, namely "Better Together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights" is of particular importance for the Member States of the AES Confederation.

Yes, peace, mutual assistance, development and the preservation of human rights remain the main objectives, indeed the very reason for being, of the United Nations. Alas, these essential objectives have never been so shaken in the world, and in the Sahel specifically, mainly because of obscurantist armed groups instrumentalized and supported by foreign state sponsors.

The Member States of the Confederation of Sahel States are at the forefront of the fight against terrorism, which constitutes both a real threat to international peace and security, but also and above all a serious attack on the very foundations of our States.

Under the impetus of our Heads of State, the Defense and Security Forces of the three countries of the AES Confederation work closely together, in an unprecedented spirit of collaboration and complementarity, and are driven by a common commitment and a pooling of efforts, to stem the scourge of terrorism. This new dynamic, built around strengthening the operational capacities of our Defense and Security Forces, through massive recruitment, adequate training and the provision of appropriate equipment, produces encouraging results on the ground every day, thereby confirming the full relevance of our sovereign decision to join together to fight our common enemies.

Unlike certain States that have opened passage corridors on their territory for terrorists, in order to attack other countries, or to offer their territory as a rear base, the founding fathers of the AES, out of pan-Africanist commitment, and out of concern to preserve the interests of their populations, decided to secure their country while avoiding a spread of the threat to other African regions, or even to the world, thereby carrying out genuine regional and global public security work. There is no doubt that, through their sacrifice, the valiant Defense and Security Forces of the AES contribute to the security of other regions, notably the countries located on the West African coast. We take this opportunity to bow before the memory of the civilian and military victims of insecurity in the Sahel.

The sovereignist approach implemented is part of the vision carried by the AES Heads of State dedicated to the security of our States, following the withdrawal of international Forces. Defying all predictions and far from scuttling itself, our countries have shown ingenuity by drawing on the historical, geographic substrate, and the resilience capacity of the confederated peoples who, despite more than a decade of security and humanitarian crises, continue to demonstrate exceptional strength of patriotic commitment. In sum, our three countries have managed to provide a coordinated and endogenous response to this war that was imposed on us.

This is the place to renew here the full and complete determination of the AES Confederation to become a pan-Africanist regional power; to pursue and intensify its actions, with a view to forever driving terrorism out of our common space; to consolidate the authority of the State; to protect our populations and their property, and to ensure our prosperity.

The AES Confederation strongly reiterates its firm condemnation of the open and sometimes publicly expressed support of foreign state sponsors who, for imperialist motives, destabilize our entity, on the one hand, by making available to terrorist groups advisors, logistical means, and weapons and ammunition, and on the other hand by granting them political support and offering them rear bases located in certain neighboring countries, in violation of all international rules.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As distant as it may seem, the war in Ukraine and terrorism in the Sahel have connections.

As a reminder, following the terrorist attack against a patrol of the Malian Defense and Security Forces, from 24 to 26 July 2024 in Tinzaouatène, in the Kidal region, Mali denounced this incident in its address here in 2024, and condemned the attitude of Ukrainian officials who publicly claimed responsibility for their participation in the said terrorist attack. From this atypical behavior, we simply deduced that Ukrainian officials have unfortunately confused the international stage with the theater stage.

A year later, the situation has worsened and the Ukrainian regime has become one of the main suppliers of kamikaze drones to terrorist groups around the world. In this context, certain Western States must stop supplying weapons to Ukraine, at the risk of contributing to the promotion of international terrorism. For others, including the French regime, nostalgic for colonization and concerned about its loss of influence in the Sahel, support for the Ukrainian regime amounts to a maneuver consisting of occupying the attention of the international community on the war in Ukraine, while sponsoring the terrorist groups operating in the Sahel.

Faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, Mali had, on 15 August 2022, requested the United Nations Security Council to hold a meeting so that my country could provide irrefutable evidence of France's support for terrorist activities. To this day, the request has remained unanswered while their acts of sabotage continue at various levels.

It is time to act, so that those responsible for this violence are identified and confounded, so that resolutions are translated into concrete commitments, so that the Sahelian space is definitively secured, and so that the resources of the Sahel benefit the populations of the Sahel.

International institutions, first and foremost the UN, were created in the aftermath of the Second World War to protect peoples against excesses of violence, logics of annihilation and silent genocides.

It is high time for the world's conscience to awaken and for international institutions to take their share of responsibility by truly responding to the cries of distress of oppressed peoples who demand their sovereignty.

The AES Confederation reiterates its commitment to cooperate with all States, regional and international organizations and partners who respect its sovereignty, its sovereign political choices, its priorities in matters of security, the fight against terrorism, and economic and social development, within the framework of a win-win partnership for the realization of the aspirations of its populations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In addition to the security efforts aimed at restoring peace in our countries, the Governments of the AES Confederation are working on the implementation of a comprehensive and integrated strategy, which includes political measures, economic and social development, justice and reconciliation.

By choosing the path of boldness and sovereignty, the Confederal Bodies have launched breakthrough initiatives based on endogenous development. This is a clear path, that of bringing ourselves the added value indispensable to our economies and of preserving the dignity of our peoples. This choice, which we fully assume, reflects our firm and unwavering will to take our destiny into our own hands.

In the same vein, we have placed at the heart of our national and confederal priorities, strategic investment policies in various priority areas such as infrastructure, energy, industrialization and economic diversification. Part of this dynamic is the creation of the Confederal Bank for Investment and Development aimed at carrying out confederal projects.

The Confederation of Sahel States bases its development ambitions on undeniable assets: a vast territory of 2,800,000 square kilometers and a population of 75 million inhabitants, the majority of whom are young people. Added to this is its strong, engaged and active diaspora. It also relies on its fertile lands, its numerous waterways, its energy sources and its reserves of mineral resources among the most significant in the world.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The third dimension of the theme of this 80th session of the Assembly concerns human rights. The AES Confederation reaffirms its commitment to respecting and ensuring respect for international human rights law and international humanitarian law, in accordance with its millennia-old humanist history and its national and international commitments.

However, we remain strongly opposed to the instrumentalization of the human rights issue for political purposes or to destabilize our national Institutions, or even our sovereign and independent States. Weary of this situation and concerned to preserve the sovereignty and dignity of the people, the Heads of State of the AES Confederation withdrew, with immediate effect, from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, on 22 September 2025. In addition to this withdrawal, there is their determination to henceforth favor endogenous justice mechanisms, in keeping with their societal values and in the interest of the AES people.

We also denounce the double standard observed by certain international actors, whose yardstick shifts according to their interests. These lecturers are moreover not themselves the best examples when it comes to respect for human rights. We call on our partners to favor dialogue and cooperation, which remain the best levers for promoting human rights around the world.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As we celebrate the 80 years of the United Nations, it must be observed that our multilateral framework, embodied by the UN, is being severely tested, in an international context marked by polarization, the gradual return of nationalism, protectionism, withdrawal into oneself and power relations.

Despite this circumstantial reality, the observation is that the three major objectives set out in the Charter of the United Nations, namely peace, development and human rights, remain relevant.

To achieve these objectives, we need:

• First, a United Nations Organization that is truly renewed, reformed and adapted to the demands of our time. This is an essential condition for better establishing its international legitimacy and ensuring the effective application of its decisions. This is an opportunity to strongly recall that Africa has for some twenty years been demanding reforms to repair the historic injustice done to it, with regard to its representation on the Security Council. I reaffirm here the full support of the AES Confederation for the common African position on this question, set out in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, so that Africa may have two permanent seats and five non-permanent seats.

• Second, we need a United Nations Organization that guarantees respect for international law for all. We are concerned to observe flagrant violations of international law around the world, and this with complete impunity. This 80th anniversary of the UN is, for us Member States, an opportunity to reaffirm our unwavering attachment to a multilateral framework based on law, not force.

• Third, we need robust mechanisms for monitoring and implementing the conclusions of international conferences. The observation in this area is clear: from the creation of the UN in 1945 to today, we have held dozens of international conferences whose commitments have been very poorly implemented, if at all, for the benefit of the populations we represent here. This situation must imperatively change. That is why we advocate that the envisaged reforms address this problem, so that our respective Nations can benefit from the dividends of the commitments made under the aegis of the United Nations Organization.

For its part, the Confederation of Sahel States is prepared to make its contribution toward the reform, which has become indispensable, of the multilateral framework of the United Nations.

With regard to current global governance, it is becoming increasingly evident that it is no longer adapted to current and future challenges. It rather needs a bolder refounding of international economic and financial institutions, which would benefit from addressing the issue of financing security and the fight against exogenous crises.

In this regard, innovative mechanisms such as the BRICS offer a constructive alternative more respectful of the interests of emerging and developing countries, as do African development financing initiatives, to which the countries of the Sahel pay particular attention in order to break the vicious circle of dependency and over-indebtedness.

In this dynamic, Africa's concerns regarding economic and social development must be taken into account. An Africa presented as the continent of the future, rich in its youth, but alas facing the heavy burden of external debt, the plundering of its resources, unequal trade, the negative transfer of resources and the vagaries of climate change, among other challenges.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the national level, Mali, in its quest for lasting peace and stability and in accordance with the aspirations of its populations expressed during the Inter-Malian Dialogue for peace and reconciliation, has adopted a Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation. The fruit of an inclusive participatory process centered on dialogue and consultation among Malian women and men from all socio-professional strata and from the diaspora, the Charter embodies our determination to strengthen national ownership of the peace process in Mali. It draws on our realities, our traditional values and our endogenous mechanisms for settling disputes, in order to turn resolutely toward a shared and promising future.

On 22 July 2025, at the official presentation of the Charter, His Excellency Army General Assimi Goïta, President of the Transition, Head of State of the Republic of Mali, in his address emphasized the historic significance of this event in these terms: "the present ceremony is all the more singular in that it carries a collective dream, that of the hope for lasting peace, for social cohesion, in short, reconciliation in our dear homeland."

Regarding regional concerns, I cannot fail to mention the destruction of a drone-type aircraft of the Malian Armed Forces, on 1 April 2025, by the Algerian junta. Mali strongly condemns this aggression and has seized the International Court of Justice on this matter.

Since gaining independence on 22 September 1960, Mali has spared no effort for the decolonization of the African continent. In this capacity, it actively and exceptionally supported Algeria in its war of liberation against the French colonizer. In light of this constant political position in favor of pan-Africanism, added to the geographic proximity between two countries that share a 1,300 km border, Mali has always shown benevolent attention toward the brotherly Algerian people.

In contrast to this constructive approach by Mali, we will highlight 3 incongruous and incomprehensible situations that have marked recent relations between our two countries:

1. The cowardly and treacherous attack targeting the Malian Armed Forces at Tinzaouatène took place a few kilometers from the Algerian border. Curiously, the Algerian junta saw nothing, heard nothing, even though the terrorist act was planned on its territory. Troubling for a country that was designated as the African Union's champion in the fight against terrorism and that has become, in recent years, a champion in the promotion of terrorism and an exporter of terrorists!

2. As announced, the Algerian junta shot down a Malian drone purchased with its own funds, from the sweat of the Malian taxpayer, on the fallacious pretext of a violation of their airspace. Mali is troubled by the Algerian junta's thesis, defying the laws of physics, according to which an object shot down in the air is capable of moving, from its point of impact, 22 km, and then ending up on Malian territory. Indeed, it is worth pointing out that the debris of the Malian drone was found on Malian territory, thereby validating our arguments.

3. On 4 September 2025, the Malian Government informed the public of the filing of an application instituting proceedings before the International Court of Justice, against the Algerian junta, concerning the destruction of the drone. In a statement by the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dated 19 September 2025, we learned with profound astonishment an allegation according to which the filing of the Malian application was motivated by the press conference of the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, held on 13 September 2025, during which he denied the filing of the Malian application with the International Court of Justice.

We would point out to the Minister that the filing of the application announced by Mali on 4 September never meant its automatic registration by the International Court of Justice.

Mali recalls that diplomacy aims to defend the interests of one's country. Assuming that the Malian complaint was triggered by his press conference, the eccentric character from Algiers demonstrates that his vision of diplomacy is to push other States to sue his own country before international bodies, thereby becoming an accomplished own-goal scorer, popularly called in Mali "Yabé." Troubling!

In passing, Mali pays a vibrant tribute to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Algerian junta. Indeed, since lies corrupt everything, he has just stripped all credibility from the Algerian version of the destruction of the Malian drone. Also, we were not at all surprised by the headlong flight of the Algerian junta, which refused to give its consent to the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice following the destruction of the Malian drone case, fearing thus to be publicly unmasked as an aggressor and supporter of international terrorism.

In light of these 3 unusual points, Mali recommends that the Algerian Junta, on the one hand, make its own this quotation from Amadou Hampâté Bâ, in Life and Teaching of Tierno Bokar: The Sage of Bandiagara: "Certain truths seem implausible to us only, quite simply, because our knowledge does not reach them." We invite them to seek to know Mali and the values embodied by the Mali Denw. Also, in the face of assaults and adversity, we will not be spectators: for every bullet fired against us, we will respond in kind. For every misplaced word used, we will respond in kind.

On the other hand, it is strongly recommended that the Algerian junta organize, in Tin Zaouatine, Algeria, an annual international festival dedicated to the artifice of human intelligence.

From this podium, we call on the Algerian junta to stop supporting international terrorism and to become resolutely involved in promoting peace and security, in a constructive spirit, respecting the sovereignty of States.

To whoever has ears to hear, so be it!

Madam President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is a fitting occasion to express the opinion of a citizen, fist raised at the dawn of our regained sovereignty, shared by the people of the AES Confederation. Our Confederation is made up of fighting nations, a land of resistance. What we are facing is not a simple internal conflict. It is a hybrid war, supported by imperialist interests, where the enemies of peace sometimes wear ties. If the UN continues to feign ignorance, it will cease to be the sum of the world and will become the passive arm of global injustice.

We say this: the AES Confederation is not afraid. It will not yield. It will resist, again and always.

However, the AES Confederation gives the United Nations a historic opportunity: that of placing itself on the side of truth. That of recognizing that the people of the AES are under attack. That of supporting a Confederation that fights both for itself and for Africa, for the stability of the continent and, indirectly, for that of the entire world.

History will judge. It will judge those who armed the forces of evil. It will judge those who looked away. It will judge those who forgot that justice is the only path to lasting peace.

The AES Confederation does not ask for charity. It calls out to conscience.

To conclude, I would like to reaffirm here the attachment of the Confederation of Sahel States to the values, goals and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

Also, the AES Confederation states that we can only be "better together" on the condition of working collectively for a multilateralism with a human face, made of dialogue, founded on law, cooperation and solidarity among peoples, promoting peace and development, in respect of the sovereignty of States.

However, we cannot and must not continue doing the same thing in the years to come while hoping for different results. There is an urgent need for reforms to be carried out within our existing multilateral framework, embodied by our common Organization. The celebration of the UN's 80th anniversary offers us this historic opportunity to adapt the Organization to the realities of the moment, capable of responding effectively to present and future challenges.

The AES Confederation remains ready to play its part, its full part, in the quest for collective responses aimed at preserving future generations from the scourge of war, ensuring harmonious development for all, and promoting and protecting human rights.

• May God bless the Confederation of Sahel States and preserve its people from the obscurantist and destructive forces of the world!
• May God bless Mali and preserve Malians from the obscurantist and destructive forces of the world!
• May God bless Africa and preserve Africans from the obscurantist and destructive forces of the world!
• May God bless the world and preserve all of humanity from the obscurantist and destructive forces of the world!

Thank you for your kind attention.