Mali's armed forces currently use a lot of armored vehicles, and the new center in Markala will, among other things, allow them to "adapt them to the realities on the ground," Fousseynou Ouattara, the deputy head of the Malian Transitional Council's Defense and Security Commission, told Sputnik Africa.
According to the official, "it would be easier for the Malians to work with equipment coming from Russia."
"As you know, we have a lot of specialists in our military who have studied and trained in Russia. These are people who are used to Russian technology, Russian techniques, Russian equipment," he explained.
The senior official also noted that in the past, weapons ordered by Bamako "were often blocked in ECOWAS ports."
"Today, if we can assemble these weapons at home, we'll be happy. Because it won't just be workshops for assembling tanks but also for making ammunition. So bullets, maybe even gunpowder," Ouattara concluded.