 Welcome once again to the Breakfast on Plants TV Africa. Our next conversation is all the way in Mali, where the interim leader, Simi Goita, survived an assassination attempt at a mosque after two assailants attempted to, well, attack him with a knife. He, of course, spoke a few minutes later after the attack, claiming that he was very well and, of course, showed that he survived the attack. This brings more questions with regards to turmoil in Mali's political space. And this morning we're going to be speaking with Imor Edet, a journalist who joined us from Senegal, Dakar, Senegal, this morning. Thanks for joining us, Mr. Edet. Good morning. Okay. Can you hear us clearly, Mr. Edet? Yes. Yes, I can hear you. I can hear you clearly. Yes, now we can. All right. So, welcome once again. Mali has been through a lot in the last few months, besides the death of the coup, rather, and overthrowing of the former president. Simi Goita has also been through, you know, there's a little bit of controversy here and there. What do you think is currently happening? It is meant to be a transitional government. He currently is in charge. But what would you describe as a current political space in Mali? Well, the tension is quite high in Mali right now. It is expecting, you know, time to really run as fast as it can, so that they can have a new government. And when we had this situation in Mali yesterday, two things came to our mind here, especially on the editorial meeting. One, either Goita explained to the gallery to show that, you know, to gain a favor or to be endeared to the people more, or secondly, it was just a real attack showing the anger of the people. And from the report, we understand that even the attackers also had guns, not just, you know, knives. So it would have been easier for them to just assassinate him with a gun instead of going through the trouble of wanting to stab him with a knife. So there are two scenarios there, either he wants, you know, that was set up to get people and get more to him, or to just the anger of the people, you know, wanting to manifest in the form of his assassination. So that's it. Right now there is a lot of tension, and we have some of our colleagues from here. Usually we don't get the report. Anytime, you know, they come back from Mali. They tell us, look, people are not happy, people are hungry. There are no jobs, you know, infrastructure. Things are just there, and they're just waiting for time to pass so that they can have, you know, a new government. Right now there's so much pressure on Greta, not just on the fact that he's an internal leader, but the fact that he also needs to deliver before, you know, February next year. Okay. So beyond those theories regarding the motives behind the attack, what, you know, can you authoritatively tell us that we don't know yet about what happened in Mali yesterday? Well, I think all the information are basically everywhere, and I'm sure you also have information. This incident happened in the morning. We had a great mosque in Bamako. And this was when the chief Imam was leading the procession, you know, where the sleeping of the sheep or, you know, the normal tradition in the Muslim festivity. And so in the process of that, I'm sure his bodyguards, you know, were caught off loose because we also understand that some persons were injured, you know, in that process. We weren't really sure who was injured, if it's the bodyguards or the attackers or even, you know, people or other worshipers that went to the mosque with them. So I think every information that you would know, it's in the open there. We hear his saviour and sound, and he was able to speak to the national television and that, you know, some attempt to take his life failed and that he will continue to do what he has been doing and what he has promised the people of Mali that he will do and especially Dr. Liva, you know, come February 2022. So the mistake is really high for Asim Agwita. We're all waiting. The international community is waiting. Airquas is waiting. People want to see what will happen. If truly, of course, you also understand that there are also plans that will eventually also contest, you know, for the February 2022 election. So we're really waiting and, you know, interesting scenarios are playing out as time unfolds. How dangerous would it have been for the stability of the country if this assassination attempt was successful? I think this would have thrown Mali into another tool and not chaos as it is and probably would have been more struggling for power by the opposition, the fight movement and every other people that had one play to be in that position. I think it would have been more difficult to see what will happen and yes, that didn't happen because it would have happened when I've gone back to, you know, from the start and therefore as coming in, they showed that another person comes in and all of that. So we're glad that didn't happen. I think we'll discuss it another thing now if that had eventually happened. Indeed. Now, states and sources confirm that the two men who were involved have been arrested. What can we expect from the judiciary in Mali regarding the prosecution of those men who had attempted to take the life of the interim president? Well, one thing that came to our mind was definitely those guys would have been injured for a long time and the fact that it was an assassination attempt on the president of the country that comes with a heavy fight or heavy charge as I say. So of course they'll be tried. Don't forget they're still running partial democracy. So they may be in a martial trial or the regular court trial but we haven't heard anything about those two yet and what will happen to them. Can you share with us, you know, what exactly Assimi Goethe is trying to achieve for Mali? Not very many people who of course commit coups can be trusted and like you said, it's possible that he might also contest in February 2022. And so what would you say he's hoping to achieve for Mali and you know, where is it, you know, where's the bit of impatience with the people coming in? You know, from when Goethe was overthrown, a lot of things happened. Businesses closed. People, a lot of the rate of unemployment skyrocketed. We saw so many things, you know, going under the borders in Mali. And for Goethe, the fact that he played a background role, I mean, when we had, I'm trying to remember, when we had the other president, he played a background role and then by the time he came in and realized that he wasn't consulted before the reshuffling of the cabinet. He saw interaction and that was what we saw, you know, playing out in the second coup. So for us to say that Goethe might be, you know, drop the military uniform and all that and go civilian, he will do that in February. And that's very common in Africa. You can't get away. Whoever has got into power will always want to be there and that is what will happen in February. So for Goethe, of course, like everybody that would want for his country to create that, you know, the bring back Mali the way it used to be. But I think he has a very dodging task ahead of him. And we also fear that the election may not really be that peaceful as it is because right now there are lots of divisions. There are positions who want to be, you know, the position where he is at the moment and there are people who don't really like him because he's coming from the military background. We're also hoping to see that, you know, the influence from the Sheikh himself, in that we're going to allow the process to be free and fair. Right now, there's so much playing out and we're just waiting to see what will happen next year. But for Goethe, definitely we'll be back, you know, as a civilian president. Because there are any similarities you can draw between the chaos, the political chaos in Mali now and what happened in Haiti not long ago with the assassination of their president. These two countries, you know, have some similarities, you know, with, I believe, in French colonies from the past. So is there any similarities you can draw, maybe also bringing in the involvement of the French government? There are quite a lot of similarities. First of all, they are former French colonies. Secondly, the French are not letting go as it is. That's why you can see more than 5,000 French troops in Mali. I mean, doing what, you know, and again, Mali is a rich country. Mali is so rich in minerals that even the French know. And that's why they find it very difficult to leave Mali. If they leave Mali now, of course, from the north, you see the rebels coming in to take charge. And so there's a whole lot in Mali that can transform the country. And that's why the French are not letting go. But in the case of Haiti, of course, the French, the left Haiti, in coverage, it's taken the Haitians longer than it should to, you know, become a normal country. We're seeing a country where the rate of unemployment is very high. There's poverty everywhere. It doesn't look like the French colony, the former French colony. Let me put it that way. So there are quite a lot of similarities. But in terms of Mali, Mali is richer than Haiti. I mean, in terms of minerals, in terms of manpower, in terms of even, you know, land mass and all of that. But where the French are having more say is the fact that they are coming in with their troops to help, you know, fight out the insurgency and all of that. So the French were there. They can't go in a hurry. Whether Macron is saying that they will draw some troops next year, they will always be there. And that's why everything that has been done, especially in Francophone, West African countries were seeing the influence of French needs. It's even better for Anglophone. But in terms of Central and West African Francophone, everything is French. You can't take that away. Still staying on this topic about French involvement in Mali. From what angle do you think this is? Is this from an angle of their own self-interest, talking about all the resources they could benefit from Mali? Or would you say they simply want to offer assistance? We know that Mali has been struggling with the jihadist insurgency in the country for many years. So would you say that's why the operation back in that was suspended has been resumed and they're not pulling troops out of the country anymore? I think assistance is just a cover-up. Let me put it that way. We know the French, you know what they are. And the fact that the country is rich in minerals, that's enough to attract any former colonel master, like I know the French. Another example is the fact that the French, like your own though, Francophone countries have a huge amount of their reserve in the French banks and that's why you see the French sepulchres being used across nine Francophone countries. And then the fact that they are also refusing to align with the echo, which is supposed to be a uniform currency among Francophone and Anglophone West Africa, that is becoming an issue. So the thing that they are there for assistance, yes they are there for assistance, but for us it's just a cover-up. We know the French interests what they are. They want to control the businesses in West Africa. They want to get deep into the resources. And the example is even here in Senegal where you have 90% of the businesses, French businesses, and part of what brought up the earlier process you all heard of a couple of months back between the incumbent and the opposition leaders of themselves. So that is what is also played out in Mali. The French cannot leave Mali in its entirety. It will take a miracle for the French to withdraw all the troops. It will take a miracle even when you see that the Mali forces are strong enough to battle the insurgency on its own. The French will always want to be there because of that influence that they've had over the Mali and other Francophone countries over the years. It is very difficult to see French, you know, taking their hands off from the West Africa. Alright, final question still on the same angle. Is it risky to play into those conspiracy theories to suggest that the French may have a hand in some of the chaos? Yes, you've mentioned that the idea of support is really just a cover-up. But over time, we've seen for a long, long time, even as far back as Thomas Sankara's era, how these foreign countries always have a hand in some assassinations or some overthrowing of certain governments to put in people that would play to their, you know, or dance to their tunes. So is it risky to maybe suggest that some of these theories might be right? No. No. I think the French will want to be involved in the king-making process. I think, yes, just to be at the background and ensure that the right thing is done. I wouldn't say there's such an influence in that regard. Okay, finally, from me, Mr. Eddard, what would you say is a state of security in Mali-like at the moment, and especially with this recent attempt in the life of Cornelas Miigoyta? Well, the captive products that have been beefed up have been reinforced triple-times, like we've heard. And there are militaries patrolling in the streets and ensuring that, you know, in this festive salad season, you know, there won't be any surprise attack from any of the rebels or the insurgents as it is. So security is really beefed up, you know, in the border area, at the catty bar, that's where the president is. And we're just waiting to hear more details just like you've asked. But for now, the thing remains calm, and security is on high, and that's in Mali. Thank you very much, Imo Eddard, journalist space in Senegal. We appreciate your time and analysis on the issues in Mali. Thank you very much. Have a great day. And this is where we say goodbye this morning. Thanks for being with us all through this Wednesday morning. If you missed out on any of these conversations, as always, you know where to find us. It's at Plus TV Africa on Facebook and Instagram. Same with our YouTube channel. And we have a second YouTube channel. Yes, it's at Plus TV Africa Lifestyle. I am Annette Felix. Thank you for joining us today. And I am Osauge Ogboa. I'll see you at nine.