Mali’s military regime could be in power until 2030
Mali’s junta leader, Gen. Assimi Goïta, has won the backing of key political figures that could secure him presidency for the next five years. On April 30th, the BBC reported that a conference organized by the regime pushed for the president’s rule to be extended until 2030, though Goïta himself has not yet commented.
After orchestrating his second coup in 2021, Goïta was sworn in as the transitional president despite international condemnation of the power grab. Back then, Goïta promised that free elections would follow.
Having clearly reneged on such commitments, the administration has drawn widespread scorn for failing to transition the country back to democracy. In a direct indictment, the leading opposition parties boycotted the conference, and in an interview with AFP, Mohamed Salia Touré, an opposition leader, said continued suppression of a multiparty system would be a “historic error.”
The conference also pushed for electoral suspension until peace was achieved in the country. The military government has long been trying to quell extremist violence linked to the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda. But considering Mali has been battling jihadist insurgencies that have spread across the region for over a decade, many see this as a prolonged excuse to further entrench power.
Goita first appeared on the political stage in August 2020, when he launched a coup against the elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. This came after mass protests over perceived corruption and Keita’s failure to end Mali’s armed rebellion. Having ousted Keita, an interim government with a civilian leader was meant to oversee the transition to elections within 18 months, as instructed by ECOWAS. However, dissatisfied with the performance of the civilian transitional arrangement, Goïta seized power again in May 2021
Since he assumed power, Goïta has allied with coup leaders in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, pivoting the region towards Russia after drastically reducing ties with the former colonial powers in France. He has also pulled Mali from ECOWAS, alongside its Sahel neighbors, Burkina Faso and Niger, over its demands to restore democratic rule.
BBC, Maghrebi
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