Mali: 99 new paratroopers join the ranks of the FAMa

The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) have strengthened their operational capabilities with the graduation of 99 new paratroopers from the 77th class. The insignia presentation ceremony took place on Friday, September 11, 2026, on the parade ground of the 33rd Parachute Commando Regiment (RCP).

Presided over by the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, Colonel-Major Daouda Sagara, the ceremony marked the culmination of four weeks of both theoretical and practical training. The trainees were instructed in parachuting techniques, equipment handling, safety procedures, and aircraft exit and landing procedures.

The promotion, sponsored by Private First Class Yiriba Dembélé, a former Malian soldier from the class of 1959, includes 80 Fusilier Commandos, 16 Army personnel, two members of the 33rd RCP Garrison Medical Center and one agent from the Directorate of the Army Commissariat.

Colonel-Major Sagara urged the new paratroopers to strengthen their endurance, teamwork, reflexes, and adaptability—qualities deemed essential for countering enemy tactics and effectively participating in operations against armed terrorist groups.

The Director of Training, Captain Moussa Traoré, for his part, praised the discipline, courage, and determination of the trainees. He urged them to fully assume their new responsibilities in service of the defense of the nation, recalling the paratroopers' motto: "Once a paratrooper, always a paratrooper."
With this 77th promotion, the FAMa continue to strengthen the skills of their personnel and consolidate their operational capabilities in the various theaters of engagement.

Djamila Kambou