More than nine out of ten Malians have confidence in Russia to help their country in the face of insecurity and jihadism, indicates an opinion poll carried out by the German foundation Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and published on Wednesday May 3. Malians are also satisfied in the same proportions with the leader of the junta, Colonel Assimi Goïta, who took power by force in August 2020.
The junta broke a long-standing alliance with France and turned militarily and politically to Russia from 2021. The Malian army received several deliveries of Russian military equipment, as well as the reinforcement of hundreds of men: Russian army instructors according to her, mercenaries from the private Wagner company according to France and its Western partners. The survey indicates that 69% of respondents are very confident and 22% somewhat confident in Russian aid in the fight against insecurity.
“Malians place a lot of expectations on the transitional authorities and Russia, but that can change very quickly; This is evidenced by the very good opinion of Malians vis-à-vis the French army at the start of its military intervention", an opinion which has since been reversed, Christian Klatt, resident representative of the foundation in Mali, told AFP. , attached to the phone. "The investigation took place in a context where the space given to criticism is very restricted by the authorities," he replied to AFP, who asked him about the degree of confidence in the sincerity. answers provided by the interviewees. Discordant voices are now struggling to be heard in the country.
The foundation's "Mali-Mètre", published each year, is presented as an analytical tool which aims to collect the opinions of Malians and bring them to the attention of political decision-makers. Data collection took place from February 11 to 23 on a sample of 2,295 people distributed between Bamako and ten regional capitals.
The general situation in the country has improved for more than four out of five Malians (82%), a result that is a marked increase compared to previous years, the survey says. Nine out of ten Malians say they are satisfied with the management of the so-called transition period, pending the return of civilians to power scheduled for March 2024. Three out of five think that respecting the timetable is not important. The first stage of this calendar, a constitutional referendum scheduled for March 19, has been postponed to an unspecified date.
Mr. Klatt also points out that the high cost of living is one of the main challenges for 44% of Malians – a novelty.
