BAMAKO, Mali, Oct 17, (AP): The head of the military junta that seized power in Mali in 2020 promoted himself Wednesday to the rank of army general with special title: Colonel Assimi Goita of the land army, the highest military distinction held only by two former heads of state in the country’s history.

The move by Goita is a sign that he has no intention of ceding power to civilians in the landlocked West African country. The announcement was made by the Council of Ministers, which published a statement on the website of the Malian government’s general secretariat.

Five other highly influential colonels of the Malian military junta were also promoted "exceptionally” to the rank of four-star generals. "This is another indication that junta leaders will continue to position themselves as the only rulers, and have no intention of having a democratic transition into civilian rule anytime soon,” said Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South. No date has yet been set for Mali’s presidential election.