Mali dissolves all political parties

Mali’s military government has dissolved all political parties after accusations from rights groups that opposition figures have been arrested.Assimi Goita, who seized power in two army coups in 2020 and 2021, validated the decision after it was broadcast to Malians in a televised statement on Tuesday.The parties were disbanded after demonstrations this month, demanding the country returned to democratic rule.Protesters gathered on May 3 and 4, carrying placards with slogans reading, “Down with dictatorship, long live democracy,” in a rare public rebuke of the military government, which had promised to hold elections in 2022.A national conference held in April recommended extending Goita’s presidency until 2030, drawing condemnation from opposition figures and human rights groups.In response to another protest that had been planned on Friday, the military government issued a decree suspending all political activities across the country.The move forced opposition groups to cancel the demonstration, and the government has now tightened its grip further.The clampdown has coincided with reports of disappearances of opposition figures. Human rights groups said several politicians have been forcibly disappeared in recent days.No comment Human Rights Watch said in a statement last week that Abba Alhassane, 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 said "unidentified men" seized El Bachir Thiam, leader of the Yelema party, in the town of Kati outside Bamako on the same day.On Tuesday, a member of CODEM, speaking on condition of anonymity for safety reasons, told Reuters that the party had not heard from Abdoul Karim Traore, a party youth leader, for two days and feared he had been abducted too.Mali's security ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.Goita first seized power in August 2020 amid escalating attacks from armed groups affiliated with ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda’s regional affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

Mali dissolves all political parties

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-04

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Mali dissolves all political parties

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-04

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