Monday- 7th June, 2021: Mali's Colonel Assimi Goita has been sworn into office as the troubled country's transitional president on Monday despite international condemnation of his latest power grab, the second coup he has led in nine months.
Goita, who ousted Mali's interim president and prime minister in May, assumed office in a ceremony at the International Conference Centre in Bamako.
"I swear before God and the Malian people to preserve the republican regime (...) to preserve democratic gains," said the 37-year-old officer, who was dressed in full military regalia.
Mali's second putsch in nine months has sparked diplomatic uproar, prompting the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to suspend the country.
