Mali Frees 11 Opposition Leaders After Six Months of Detention

Eleven opposition leaders in Mali have been released following six months in detention, marking a significant development in the country’s political landscape. Read more.

A court in Mali has released 11 opposition leaders who were detained in June on accusations of conspiring against the governing military, following their appeals for a transition to civilian governance.

Their temporary release on Friday was viewed as an effort to soothe the nation’s political tensions after General Abdoulaye Maiga’s contentious appointment as prime minister.

Mali has been under military rule since the junta took control in 2020 and executed another coup the following year.

On June 20, eleven individuals were arrested at an “illegal” gathering conducted during a time when all political party activities were prohibited. They faced accusations of conspiring against the junta following their signing of a statement in March that urged the military to cede power.

“The 11 comrades from the coalition of political parties and associations that issued the March 31 Declaration have been freed as of yesterday,” announced former Malian minister Djiguiba Keita on Friday. His Party for National Renaissance (Parena), an opposition group, is one of the signatories to this declaration.

He told The Associated Press, “This release is the outcome of our efforts in urging the authorities to free our comrades as part of improving the political climate in the country.”

Issa Togo, affiliated with the Adema PASJ party and a former National Assembly member, stated that the 11 individuals “are free to resume their political activities and travel.”

Several other political leaders and civil society activists are still imprisoned in Mali, including Issa Kaou N’Djim, the former vice-president of the National Transitional Council—Mali’s legislative body during its transition—and economist Etienne Fakaba Sissoko.

Both have criticized the military regimes of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which make up the Alliance of Sahel States.

Abdoulaye Maïga was appointed as prime minister in November, following the ousting of Choguel Maïga (no relation) by junta leader General Assimi Goita. Choguel, a civilian prime minister, had criticized the junta for delaying a presidential election originally planned for 2024.