Mali’s junta bans political reporting
Mali’s junta banned media reportage on the activities of political parties and associations on April 11th, according to AP. The order, issued by the country’s high authority for communication applies to all forms of media, amid a wider crackdown on civil and press freedoms. Mali has seen two coups since 2020, in a wave of political instability that has swept the wider Sahel region in recent years. The sub-Saharan country has been struggling to suppress Islamist insurgencies linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State since 2012.
The April 11th ban comes a day after the Mali’s junta suspended all political activities in the country until further notice.
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Maison de le Press (Press House), the organization representing journalists in Mali, responded saying that it rejects the order and called on journalists to continue reporting on politics in Mali. The organization urged reporters to “stand tall, remain unified and to mobilize to defend the right of citizens to have access to information.”
Mali’s national commission for human rights also expressed profound concern over the junta’s April 11th decision, stating that “instead of calming the social climate, these restrictions on fundamental rights and freedoms could potentially stir up trouble and tension, which the country does not need.”
Analysts suggest the move is likely a backlash against political figures, civil society, and students who have expressed frustration with the junta’s failure to return the country to democratic rule as promised.
Senior fellow at the Morocco-based Policy Centre for the New South, Rida Lyammouri, told AP that “recent weeks saw mounting pressure by political parties and figures,” and that, “for the first time, the public and politicians have publicly criticized junta leaders and accused them of a lack of seriousness.”
Col. Assimi Goita, who took charge in a 2021 military coup, initially promised to hold two rounds of elections, on February 4th and 18th, 2024, which were “postponed for technical reasons” on September 25th, 2023, as reported by AFP.
Mali’s junta vowed to end an Islamist insurgency that emerged in 2012 after deposing the former elected government. The country cut military ties with its former colonizer, France, citing frustration with the lack of progress of a decade of anti-insurgency assistance. The junta instead turned to Russian Wagner Group mercenaries for support.
READ: Wagner accused of civilian deaths in joint operations with Mali
Analysts, however, say violence in Mali has only grown worse since the French withdrawal.
AP / AFP
