Mali: Military junta reauthorizes political parties suspended in April

Mali’s ruling military junta announced on Wednesday that it would once again authorize the activities of political parties and associations, which had been suspended on April 10.
“The government has decided to lift the suspension of measures that dealt a blow to the political activities of political parties and associations,” the Council of Ministers, which is dominated by the military, said in a press release. In 2020, the military led the country’s head of state, which faced jihadism and terrorism. It fell into a deep multidimensional crisis.
The military leader, Colonel Assimi Gouta, ordered the suspension, accusing the parties of “fruitless discussions” and “subversion,” saying their activities posed a risk to the ongoing national “dialogue” on Mali’s political future.
At the time, political parties protested against retaining the colonel as head of state beyond the March 2024 deadline, when they promised to give way to a civilian after elections.
The main political parties and the remaining opposition decided to boycott the “dialogue”.

Since then, dialogue has been held with the participation of supporters of the regime, and in May a “proposal” was produced, advocating that the military maintain power for another “two to five years” and nominate the current presidential candidate for the military’s future presidential elections.
Since then, the military junta has continued to suppress discordant voices.
Since the end of June, authorities have found 11 party chairmen and opposition figures who signed a statement issued by their alliance on March 31 calling on the military to return power to civilians. They accused them of “conspiracy”.
– Situation “Matrix” –

The Council of Ministers assured that by suspending the activities of all parties, “the government will be able to contain all threats of public order disturbances” over the “dialogue”.
The military junta also advocated in April for a continued fight against armed jihadists and Tuareg independence groups.
Mali is currently in the “implementation phase of the Commission’s recommendations”
The dialogue is conducted in an atmosphere of control over the security, political and social situation,” the Council of Ministers said.
The military regime has stated that it will implement the “suggestions” for “dialogue.”
However, the scope of the election has yet to be determined.
The military has pledged to complete its mission by 2022 and withdraw after elections in March 2024, at the end of a two-year so-called “transition” period.
Under pressure from the Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the organization’s severe sanctions, they failed to deliver on the promises they made at the time.
Their disruptive behavior has increased since 2022. They have broken with old alliances with France and their European partners and turned toward Russia militarily and politically.

They expelled the UN mission (MINUSMA) and denounced the 2015 agreement with northern independence groups that was seen as crucial to stabilizing the country.

After Mali, soldiers seized power in neighboring Sahel countries Burkina Faso and Niger in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The three jihadist-influenced countries decided in January to withdraw from ECOWAS and announced the formation of the alliance on Saturday.
The Malian opposition has been rendered powerless by pressure from coercive measures, legal prosecutions, disbanding of groups, and a dominant narrative that demands unity around the military junta.

Burmlaar/fjb