Mali’s military junta has officially dissolved all political parties in the country.
A statement aired on state television on Tuesday confirmed that the country’s military leader, Assimi Goita, had validated the decision.
This move follows a recommendation made last month by a national conference of political actors in Mali, which suggested dissolving all political parties and appointing Goita as president for a five-year term.
The recommendation sparked protests in Bamako on May 3 and May 4, with hundreds of critics holding placards calling for multi-party elections. Demonstrators also chanted slogans such as “Down with dictatorship, long live democracy.”
Ahead of a planned protest on May 9, Mali suspended all political activities nationwide, forcing opposition groups to cancel their demonstration.
The dissolution coincides with reports of disappearances involving opposition figures. Human rights organizations have reported that several politicians have gone missing recently.
On Thursday, Human Rights Watch issued a statement saying that Abba Alhassane, the secretary-general of the Convergence for the Development of Mali (CODEM), was arrested by “masked gunmen claiming to be gendarmes” on May 8. The group also reported that El Bachir Thiam, leader of the Yelema party, was seized by “unidentified men” on the same day in Kati, a town near Bamako.
Goita initially seized power in August 2020, following escalating attacks by armed groups affiliated with ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda’s regional affiliate, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
The junta had originally pledged to hold elections in February 2022.
