DIRPA boss: ‘We will never go back’

In a 5-minute video that we watch, Colonel Souleymane Dembélé, director of DIRPA, tells about the recent events recorded by the FAMa mission in the north, which is part of the reconquest of the entire national territory. The boss of DIRPA explains the routes, how the fighting took place, the loss of human and material lives, the international intrigues and the FAMa’s firm determination to see the mission through to the end. This press release is a supplement to the press release of the General Staff of the Armed Forces that you can read on the ORTM channel on July 29, 2024.

According to the DIRPA chief, FAMA was on a routine patrol and after occupying some areas, they encountered the terrorist alliance in Tinzaouatene.

“FAMa has the sovereign mission of protecting the security of the population and stabilizing the country. This was precisely a routine patrol that started from Kidal, through Inafarak, Bugesa to Tinzawatteni. At the time, it was a battle for survival for the armed terrorist groups. You know, our forces left Kidal from the 19th and first gathered towards Inafarak. They occupied this area and continued to Bugesa. After Bugesa came Tinzawatteni. It was on the outskirts of Tinzawatteni that they suffered the first terrorist attack, which routed the terrorists. In hindsight, they were able to come together. They were able to unite by calling on other terrorist groups in the subregion to support them. Due to the mountainous nature of the area, we have not yet been able to assess the situation. But what we must remember is that both sides have incurred losses in human and material lives. “, he explained.

Despite this situation, Colonel Dembélé expressed FAMa’s determination to continue with its sovereign mission.

“The operation is ongoing. FAMa will never deny its sovereign mission, which is to recover the entire national territory while ensuring the security of the people and their property. FAMa is committed to this goal and, despite all vicissitudes, they will fight until their last breath. We will never go back. Our mission is to ensure the security and free movement of people and goods. Also to stabilize this country. », he added.

Colonel Dembélé then recalled that this situation in Mali had been going on for nearly a decade and that the presence of international forces had not yielded any convincing results. In two years, FAMA alone had made an indelible contribution.

“You know, this country has made great progress in ten years of armed conflict; international forces have been on our territory for ten years without being able to find a solution to the crisis that plagues us. Therefore, the armed forces are alone today facing this group of terrorists, assuming that this group of international terrorists is on our territory and they do not want FAMa to complete their mission. », the boss of DIRPA insisted.

Dembélé believes that this war is an information war and a communication war, and that the international media is serving the enemy and trying to spread confusion. The Malian people must be wary of this dishonorable attitude.

“This is an information war, a communications war that our country is going through, and that the armed forces have been going through for years. The people should understand that these media outlets that denigrate our army, that bring shame upon our army, are an attempt to destabilize our country; it is an attempt to discredit our army that has been going from strength to strength for two or three years. So if for ten years the international forces could not do this in Mali, and in two years the Malian armed forces have done this difficult job on the ground, it goes without saying that some will try to question what the Malian government is doing today with the armed forces. The people should understand this. Malians should realize that it is because of the Malian armed forces, it is because of Mali, that we are in a dynamic of destabilization by external forces. », revealed Colonel Dembélé.

The DIRPA chief concluded his speech by asking the population to maintain cooperation with his forces, a complicity that is also bearing fruit on the ground.

“The people will not lose confidence in their army, they will support their army. This army is at the service of the Malian people and we will do everything for the Malian people. It is our responsibility to protect this population, it is our mission to keep this population safe and we will do everything in our power to do that.

Since the beginning of the operation, the population has continuously informed the Malian Armed Forces of the movements of terrorists, their safe havens, and their logistical and supply points. That is why the Malian Armed Forces are committed to fighting the forces of obscurantism to the end. »

On Monday, July 29, 2024, the Armed Forces General Staff issued a press release in which it explained the large-scale operation launched by FAMa as part of efforts to stabilize the situation in the IN-AFARAK and Tinzaouatene regions. Recalling the course of the battles, the General Staff expressed condolences to the families of the heroes who fell on the field of honor and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded. He then congratulated the Malian people for their continued support, before asking them to remain calm and continue to pass on valuable information that will help defeat the enemies of peace.

Boubacar Yargui