In Mali, the junta dismisses the civilian prime minister and his government

Following criticism of military power in Mali, the civilian prime minister, Choguel Kokalla Maïga, was dismissed on Wednesday, November 20, by the junta and his government, according to a decree read on state television. “The functions of the Prime Minister and members of the Government are put to an end”says the decree of the head of the junta, General Assimi Goïta, read by the secretary general of the presidency, Alfousseyni Diawara.

Maïga, appointed to his position by the military in 2021 after the second coup in a year, seemed isolated and with limited capacity for action. His dismissal, however, creates additional uncertainty in an already conflictive context. Some of the main members of the junta, such as General Sadio Camara, Minister of Defense, and General Ismaël Wagué, Minister of Reconciliation, are part of the government.

Maïga was fired four days after making rare public criticism of the board on Saturday. He regretted that he was kept away from making decisions regarding the maintenance of the generals in power and mentioned “The specter of confusion and amalgamation” which, according to him, would be maintained during the current transition period.

Barkhane’s withdrawal, an “abandonment in mid-flight”

The junta that has led this country since 2020, which is facing jihadism and a deep multidimensional crisis, has not fulfilled the commitment it had initially made under international pressure to return power to elected civilians in March 2024. No new deadline has been set. .

Choguel Kokalla Maïga, 66, was the civilian face of the strategic shift made by the military that broke the historical alliance with the former French colonial power and turned politically and militarily towards Russia.

Maïga was at the United Nations in September 2021 and delivered one of the most notable precursory messages to this shift by denouncing what he presented as the“abandonment in mid-flight” That marked the announced withdrawal of the French anti-jihadist force Barkhane after years of fighting alongside Malian forces. This withdrawal pushed Mali to explore new avenues with other partners, he said, as the deployment of elements of the controversial Russian private paramilitary group Wagner loomed.

Several times minister and three times presidential candidate (2002, 2013 and 2018), Maïga provided the junta with a form of support as a figure of the June 5 Movement-Rally of Patriotic Forces (M5-RFP). This group participated in the protest against former civilian president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, finally overthrown by the military in August 2020.

Towards a candidacy for the next presidential elections

Maïga, however, distanced herself from the board, sparking speculation about her dismissal for months. In June, he endorsed the content of a text signed by a relative who was firmly opposed to the possible permanence of the military in power for several more years. This relative, Boubacar Traoré, was sentenced in July to one year in prison. Before him, Abdelkader Maïga, another supporter of the former prime minister, was sentenced in April to two years in prison, one of which was closed, for defamation.

Following his comments on Saturday, Choguel Kokalla Maïga’s position became difficult to maintain. An influential supporter of the junta, the Military Defense Collective, whose demands have often been met in the past, demanded his resignation within seventy-two hours. Demonstrations of an admittedly limited scale took place on Tuesday to support the military regime and demand the resignation of the Prime Minister.

Mr. Maïga’s statements have provoked strong attacks on the coherence of his attitude. They gave rise to speculation about a possible positioning on their part in the face of future presidential elections. Maïga is also the subject of criticism from former allies of the M5-RFP, who accuse him of having abandoned the fight for change and acting in his own name.