By Biran Gaye
Increasingly frequent demonstrations are shaking Mali, with supporters of the transitional authorities from several regions, including Kayes, Timbuktu, Gao, and Kidal, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maïga.
This comes after civilian Prime Minister Maiga called on the country’s military leaders to discuss ending the “transition” period, in an unusual criticism of the ruling junta.
In June 2022, the junta pledged to hold elections and hand power back to civilians by the end of March 2024, but later postponed the vote indefinitely.
“The Transition was supposed to end on March 26, 2024. But it was postponed indefinitely, unilaterally, without debate within the government,” Maiga told supporters of his M5-RFP movement, in a speech published on Facebook by local media.
“The specter of confusion hangs over the transition, with, even if I have to repeat myself, the risks of serious challenges and risks of going backwards,” continued Maiga.
Appointed in 2021, Choguel Maïga denounced their exclusion from decision-making processes and pointed out “confusion and amalgamation” within the Transition.
However, he commended the armed forces and called for unity and “respect for political authorities, and the guarantor of strength and stability.”
According to the Sahel based media, AES Info, the Collectif des Jeunes Leaders organized a peaceful march in Kita to support the Transition and condemn the Prime Minister’s controversial statements made during an M5-RFP meeting. In Bamako, protesters gathered at the International Conference Center to celebrate the liberation of Kidal also demanded Maïga’s departure. Protesters in Gao and Ménaka join the call for the resignation of the outspoken prime minister, describing him as an ‘obstacle to national unity’, reports say.
And in Timbuktu, a demonstration took place to support the Transition authorities while protesting Maïga’s comments.
Several organizations have strongly criticized the Prime Minister, with the Collective for the Defense of the Military (CDM), an important ally of the Transitional authorities, giving a 72-hour ultimatum for his resignation, accusing Choguel Maïga of ‘high treason’, reports added.
In a statement quoted by reports, the CDM stated: “Dr. Choguel Maïga has failed in his duties and is now adopting a position that is harmful to the authorities of the Transition.”
According to local reports, the Council of Ministers, initially scheduled on Wednesday, was postponed with no reason advanced.
This cancellation comes amid political tensions, which culminated in the recent controversial statements of the Prime Minister, Choguel K. Maïga.
Mali has been ruled by the military since successive coups in 2020 and 2021.
In May, the M5-RFP movement issued a statement openly criticizing Mali’s military leaders after they failed to meet a deadline to return power to civilians. An ally of Maiga who signed the statement was sentenced to a year in prison in July, before being released in September after his sentence was commuted. Eleven people who had criticized the junta’s actions were arrested in June for ‘conspiring against legal authorities’.
