(FILES) Mali's interim president Assimi Goita arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing on September 1, 2024, ahead of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) scheduled to be held on September 4-6. Mali's junta leader, Assimi Goïta, will assume the additional role of defence minister, according to a decree read on state TV on May 4, 2026, following the death of the previous minister in large-scale attacks. Mali is facing a security crisis after an assault led by Tuareg separatists and Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists on several junta strongholds more than a week ago, during which Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed by a car bomb at his residence. (Photo by Ken Ishii / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)