MALI’S military-led government has officially dissolved all political parties, a dramatic escalation in its efforts to tighten control over the West African nation and suppress political opposition.
The announcement, delivered in a televised statement on Tuesday, confirmed the decision was ratified by Colonel Assimi Goita, the military leader who seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021. It follows recommendations from a national political forum last month that proposed naming Goita president with a five-year term and dismantling the country’s multi-party system.
As Reuters reports, that recommendation sparked rare and defiant protests in the capital, Bamako, on May 3 and 4, with hundreds of demonstrators calling for democratic elections and holding signs that read: ‘Down with dictatorship, long live democracy.’
Despite earlier commitments to hold elections in February 2022, the junta has delayed the democratic transition indefinitely, citing national security concerns. In a preemptive move to quell further dissent ahead of another planned protest on May 9, authorities suspended all political activities nationwide, forcing opposition groups to cancel their gatherings.
Rising fears of political abductions
Amid the crackdown, several opposition figures are feared to have been abducted in recent days, according to reports from party officials and human rights organisations.
Human Rights Watch said that on May 8, Abba Alhassane, secretary-general of the Convergence for the Development of Mali (CODEM), was arrested by masked men identifying themselves as gendarmes. That same day, El Bachir Thiam, leader of the Yelema party, was reportedly taken by unidentified men in Kati, a town just outside the capital.
In a statement to Reuters on Tuesday, a member of CODEM, speaking anonymously for safety reasons, said the party had also lost contact with Abdoul Karim Traore, a youth leader, and feared he too had been forcibly taken.
The country’s Ministry of Security has not responded to requests for comment regarding these reports.
Junta consolidates grip on power
The latest developments mark a significant turning point in Mali’s political trajectory, with growing concerns about the shrinking space for civic freedoms and democratic participation.
Goita’s government has already drawn international criticism for its repeated postponements of elections and increased restrictions on political activity. The latest move to dissolve political parties entirely is widely seen as an authoritarian measure to eliminate all organised dissent.
