Malian authorities detain eleven opposition leaders after holding a meeting

June 21. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Malian authorities arrested eleven opposition leaders this Thursday, including former Minister of State Mohamed Ali Bathily, after they held a meeting just a couple of months since the military junta that governs the country suspended “until new notice” the activity of all political parties “for reasons of public order”.

All detainees are signatories of the Declaration of March 31, 2024, which calls for the holding of democratic elections in Mali at a time when the leader of the Malian junta, Assimi Goita, recommended extending the transition period from two to five years.

In addition to the aforementioned former minister, Samba Coulibaly, Abdramane Korera (Alliance for Solidarity in Mali, ASMA), Laya Guindo, Moulage o Haidara (Party for Development and Solidarity, PDES), Moustapha Dicko (African Party for the Solidarity and Justice, ADEMA-PASJ), Mamadou Traoré (president of the Union party), Amadou Maiga, Yaya Sangare (ADEMA-PASJ), Malé Camara (National Committee for the Recovery of Democracy and the Restoration of the State, NDRC) and Mamadoy Traoré (Alternative for Mali), according to the Malijet news portal.

The head of the junta promised in March 2022 to complete the transition within 24 months, but the elections called for February of this year were postponed to September 2023 for “technical reasons.” The authorities have not announced an alternative date for the elections, which represents a blow to the open transition to return power to civil authorities after the coups d’état of August 2020 and May 2021.

The Malian military junta has been criticized by the international community for repeated postponements in the transition process opened after the coup led by Goita in August 2020, when he overthrew the then president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Goita subsequently led a second coup d’état in May 2021 against the transitional authorities – at which time he overthrew the president and prime minister, Bah Ndaw and Moctar Ouane -, subsequently assuming the position of transitional president of Mali.