The Honorable Rachna Korhonen, Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Mali, presented her credentials to His Excellency the President of the Transition, Assimi Goita, on March 16, 2023 at the Kolouba Presidential Palace in Bamako. (Credit: twitter.com/GoitaAssimi)
By Gary Raynaldo – DIPLOMATIC TIMES
United States ambassador Rachna Korhonen presented her credentials Thursday in West Africa nation Mali to His Excellency President of the Transition, Assimi Goita. Korhonen, a career diplomat, is President Joe Biden’s new US ambassador to Mali. Ambassador Korhonen is an Indian-American who grew up in the New Jersey borouogh of Flemington. Korhonen was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 13, 2022 and was sworn in as the Ambassador to the Republic of Mali on December 22, 2022. She previously served as Executive Director of the combined Executive Offices of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the Department of State.
“It is a tremendous honor for me to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Mali. Whether in the areas of health, education, cultural preservation, or political reform, the United States and Mali have long-standing partnerships that I am proud to continue. The United States remains committed to partnering with Mali, ‘Toujours Ensemble – Always Together’, to achieve peace, health, and prosperity.”
-U.S. Ambassador to Mali Rachna Korhonen said upon presenting her diplomatic credentials
After meeting with Goita, ambassador Korhonen said on Twitter that she had “a good conversation and I am looking forward to many more”.
Ambassador Korhonen’s family emigrated to United States from India
Rachna Korhonen, U.S. Ambassador to Mali under President Biden (US Department of State)
Korhonen was also Consul General and Principal Administrator of the U.S. Consulate in Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. She also served as the Executive Director of the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and in Washington, D.C., she served as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Management. She has also served at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait and the U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai, India. Korhonen holds a Bachelor’s degree from Empire State College. She speaks Hindi, French, Finnish, and Arabic.
Colonel Assimi Goïta is a Malian military officer who has been interim President of Mali since 28 May 2021. Goïta was the leader of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, a military force that seized power from former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in the 2020 Malian coup d’état.
His Excellency the President of the Transition, Assimi Goita
“J’ai reçu les nouveaux Ambassadeurs des USA, du Royaume Uni, de la Tanzanie, du Portugal et de l’Australie accrédités au Mali. Je me réjouis de l’intérêt qu’ils ont manifesté pour le Mali et leurs désirs d’œuvrer au renforcement de la coopération bilatérale”
–President of the Transition, Assimi Goita
Honorable Rachna Korhonen, Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Mali, presented her credentials to His Excellency the President of the Transition, Assimi Goita, on March 16, 2023 at the Kolouba Presidential Palace in Bamako. (Credit: twitter.com/GoitaAssimi)
Security Situation in Mali remains Volatile
Mali remains locked in a dangerous, “endless cycle of instability” amid a military coup, delay of return to civilian rule, on-going extremist attacks, and Russian mercenaries operating in the west African nation.
The UN Security Council has expressed concern about the deteriorating security situation in Mali and the “transnational dimension” of the terrorist threat in the Sahel region.
“The security situation remains volatile in the center of Mali and in the tri-border area between Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger,” El-Ghassim Wane, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali told the Security Council Oct. 18, 2022.
