France, July 4 -- Five years after taking power by force, Mali's junta leader, General Assimi Goita, has abandoned his promise of a democratic transition, extending his military rule for at least five more years without an election.

Goita, 41, burst onto the public scene as a young, relatively unknown military officer when he deposed president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in an August 2020 coup.

"We no longer have the right to make mistakes," Goita said at the time, cutting a martial figure in fatigues with a khaki shemagh scarf around his neck, as he introduced himself to the public.

Less than a year later the special forces commander launched a second coup, removing the two civilians who had been appointed under international pressure to s...