Bamako (AFP) – Supporters of Mali’s M5 opposition movement were called out to rally on Friday in a demonstration that could point to the next steps in the country’s ongoing crisis.
The rally will be held in Bamako, the Malian capital, to commemorate the founding of the movement, which powered mass protests last year.
But it comes after strongman Colonel Assimi Goita, who led a coup on the back of the protests, ousted the civilian transitional president and prime minister on May 24.
Observers will be closely watching who attends the rally for hints at Mali’s future political direction.
Once distant, the military and the M5 now have a warmer relationship.
Goita may name a leading M5 figure as his new prime minister — a move that some argue could soften international criticism of the second coup.
The putsch has sparked diplomatic uproar, prompting the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to suspend Mali.
Offering a firm rebuke on Thursday, France also said it would suspend joint military operations with Malian forces, and stop giving military advice.
Mali’s former colonial master has thousands of troops stationed in the Sahel to help fight jihadist violence that erupted in Mali in 2012 and now threatens the region.
France’s defence ministry said the suspension was a “conservative and temporary measure” pending “guarantees” that Mali’s ruling military will stage elections in February 2022.
The ministry added that French troops will continue to operate in Mali, but on their own.
Mali’s military junta did not comment on the decision.
Goita is expected to be appointed as Mali’s transitional president in a ceremony on Monday, which would pave the way towards naming a civilian prime minister — a key international demand.
– Influential imam –
On August 18 last year, Goita led army officers in ousting elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, following mass protests over perceived corruption and the bloody jihadist insurgency.
M5 had spearheaded the protests against Keita in 2020, but was subsequently sidelined in the army-dominated post-coup administration.
This transitional government pledged to reform the constitution by October, and stage elections in February next year.
But the M5 became a vocal critic, calling the transitional government a “disguised military regime.”
There has been a rapprochement between the group and the army since the May 24 coup, however.
Goita has said he would prefer to name an M5 figure as his prime minister and the group put forward one of its cadres, Choguel Maiga, as a candidate.
But that choice has in turn raised questions about Mali’s future, in particular concerning the potential role of religious leader Mahmoud Dicko, who is close to Maiga.
The influential imam was viewed as the figurehead of the M5 during the anti-Keita protests, but later distanced himself from the movement.
Maiga is also a vocal critic of the 2015 Algiers peace accord, a shaky agreement between the central government and several armed groups.
The deal, which has never been fully implemented, is seen as crucial to ending Mali’s grinding conflict.
Source: New feed
