PROMINENT Malian opposition leader Mamadou Traoré is due to stand trial on June 12 after being arrested last month for criticising the country’s military rulers. The move comes amid growing political unrest over the junta’s proposed dissolution of political parties and delays in returning to civilian rule.
According to a report by Radio France Internationale (RFI), Traoré, leader of the Alternatives for Mali party and a key figure in the Jigiya Koura opposition coalition, was detained on April 24 and transferred to Dioïla prison, approximately 160 km from the capital, Bamako.
He faces charges of ‘undermining the credit of the state’ and ‘spreading knowingly false news likely to disturb public order’, stemming from an interview posted online on April 22 in which he accused members of the National Transition Council of corruption.
‘Not for the homeland’
In the video, Traoré claimed the council’s appointees were earning ‘billions’ in salaries meant for elected MPs and accused them of working ‘for their personal interest and not for the homeland’. He also condemned the council’s silence on threats to dissolve political parties and questioned the legitimacy of the 2023 constitutional referendum.
‘Not keeping your word is an insult to the honour of Malians,’ he said during the interview.
Crackdown intensifies
This is not Traoré’s first brush with the authorities. In 2024, he spent over five months in detention with 10 other political leaders after holding a meeting during a government-imposed suspension of political activity.
Tensions have escalated further after another member of his party was sentenced in April to one year in prison and fined CFA650,000 ($1,070) for labelling Mali’s military leadership a ‘junta’ and urging resistance to what he called the ‘anarchic regime of Assimi Goïta’.
Goïta, who seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, was recently endorsed by a government-led national dialogue to serve as president for a renewable five-year term. The same dialogue also recommended dissolving all political parties — a move that has drawn fierce condemnation from the opposition.
Street protests and civil resistance
On May 3, hundreds of demonstrators defied police restrictions to rally outside Bamako’s Palais de la Culture in what became the first major pro-democracy protest since the 2020 coup. Organisers condemned any attempt to restrict or dissolve political parties, calling it ‘a direct attack on the constitution and the sovereignty of the Malian people’.
The following day, civic leaders held a press conference demanding ‘a rapid and credible return to constitutional order’ through free and inclusive elections. Authorities later dispersed the event, citing concerns over clashes with junta supporters.
A follow-up opposition rally is planned in Bamako on May 9. One organiser told local media, ‘We are taking it up a notch to demonstrate our capacity for mobilisation.’
Risk of deeper crisis
Last week, Mali’s transitional government escalated tensions further by issuing a decree to repeal the law regulating political parties, aligning with recommendations from the national dialogue.
Speaking to the Associated Press, political analyst Mamouni Soumano of Kurukanfuga University warned of a ‘real risk of increased tensions’ if pressure on opposition groups continues.
The Jigiya Koura coalition is demanding the release of all political prisoners and a return to civilian government by December 31 2025.
Rights groups condemn repression
Human rights organisations including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) have denounced what they call systematic repression during Mali’s transition period.
In a joint statement, they cited rising arrests, legal intimidation, and media censorship as evidence of a deteriorating climate for civil liberties.
Mali’s military leadership has also drawn criticism for cutting ties with traditional Western allies in favour of closer relations with Russia, further fuelling regional and international concern over the country’s democratic trajectory.
