In September 2024, Col. Assimi Goïta, Mali’s junta leader, traveled to Beijing to visit Norinco, a weapons manufacturing company. Mali and Norinco signed an agreement that will provide Bamako with military equipment, training and defense-related technology.
According to Anadolu Agency, the delivery was made near the end of an Economic Community of West African States embargo in 2022. Sadio Camara, Mali’s defense minister, expressed gratitude “We will not forget this act.”
Analysts say Beijing strives to become a key player in African security — a reflection of its efforts to expand its diplomatic influence and soft power globally. While China’s security sector assistance is intended to help Mali address terrorism, researcher Paa Kwesi Wolseley Prah, a postdoctoral fellow at Dublin City University, believes it may come with consequences.
According to Prah, the overreliance on military solutions to security challenges risks escalating conflicts and does not address the root causes of conflict, such as social cohesion and local governance. Heavy reliance on China exposes Mali to potential supply disruptions, diminished bargaining power and limited strategic flexibility.
“It also raises concerns about the potential influence of China on Mali’s defense policies and decision-making processes,” Prah wrote in The Conversation. “In turn this could entrench the Malian military government’s position. China takes a hands-off approach to the governance structures of the countries it engages with. Hopes of democratization in the country could be affected.”
Since claiming power in August 2020, Goïta has reneged on promises of returning to democratic rule. Mali’s military leaders recently granted Goïta a five-year presidential mandate, renewable “as many times as necessary” and without requiring an election.
Mali is the continent’s fourth-largest gold producer and China also has invested heavily in its mining sector. However, this comes with risk, as terror groups, particularly Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Islamic State group, attack gold mining sites, endangering workers.
On May 12, an armed group killed three people and abducted two others during attacks on an artisanal gold mining site in Narena, about 100 kilometers southwest of Bamako.
“Early on Monday morning, terrorists carried out two attacks in the Narena commune,” Mamadou Kanté, deputy mayor of Narena, told The Associated Press. “First, they attacked a shop belonging to Chinese nationals. They kidnapped two Chinese nationals and burned their heavy machinery used in gold mining.”
Kanté said the fighters then attacked a nearby artisanal gold-panning site, killing one Malian and two Ghanaians. No groups claimed responsibility for the attack, but it was similar to those carried out by JNIM, which is affiliated with al-Qaida.
Beijing is involved in a $130 million lithium and uranium exploration project in the town of Kidal and commune of Falea. China also has invested in Mali’s infrastructure, including a $2.7 billion railway project that connects Bamako to Dakar, Senegal. According to Prah, Mali’s debt to China could now be at least $13 billion.
“This has often been criticized as ‘debt trap diplomacy,’ increasing recipient countries’ dependence on Beijing,” Prah wrote. “In Mali, I believe this risks entrenching economic vulnerability and giving China geopolitical leverage.”
The researcher said that Mali should publish regular reports on security sector assistance, collaborate with China to merge such assistance with civilian-led security approaches, and diversify their security and economic partnerships.
“Promoting regional economic integration and ties with global powers will bolster Mali’s economic resilience,” Prah wrote.