Family demands proof of life of Malian politician

Four months after his abduction, the family of Mountaga Tall, a Malian lawyer and former minister, still has no confirmation of his whereabouts or condition. Tall was seized from his home by masked agents of Mali’s State Security, and his son, Cheick Mamadou, was arrested around the same time and has also not been located or granted any formal legal proceedings, according to RFI on September 4.

No formal charges have been brought against either man, according to relatives, who say authorities should pursue any legitimate case against them “publicly” rather than continue what they describe as an unlawful detention. “What I want today is proof that they’re alive and in good health,” one relative told RFI, questioning how the two men are being treated and under what conditions they are being held.

For Mamadou Ismaila Konaté, a lawyer and former Malian justice minister close to Tall, the authorities’ silence is no accident. He described it as a deliberate strategy by Mali’s transitional government, one designed to make the public forget about Tall and other detainees while discouraging anyone from speaking out on their behalf.

Tall and his son are far from alone. Since May, State Security has also detained other pro-democracy figures, including Youssouf Daba Diawara, an associate of exiled imam and opposition figure Mahmoud Dicko, and Moussa Djiré, president of the “Mouvement politique et citoyen Yiriwa 223.” Their arrests fit a broader pattern of crackdowns on journalists and former officials under the military junta led by General Goïta. Last month, broadcaster Mohamed Youssouf Bathily, known as Ras Bath, was convicted of “undermining the credit of the state” and “criminal association,” alongside influencer Rokia Doumbia, known as “Rose, la vie chère,” who received the same sentence.

The case has also drawn international attention: in early July, the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances asked Malian authorities to confirm whether Tall and his son are being held in state custody, to disclose their location, and to clarify the legal basis for their detention. Two months later, Bamako has yet to respond.

RFI, Maghrebi.org