For the second time in a month, protesters in Mali gathered at the independence square holding placards with anti-government messages to demand the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. A similar rally was held on June 5, 2020, with the same demands.
A Resurgent Opposition
Leading this new wave of protests is Mahmoud Dicko, a religious leader and opposition figure leading the newly formed M5-RPF (“Movement of June 5 – Rally of Patriotic Forces”) coalition which comprises religious leaders and civil society organizations who want the incumbent out of power. Mr Dicko and his coalition started gaining more popularity amidst unrest and jihadists attacks in the northern and central regions of the country where thousands have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced. But the protesters are grieved by even more: widely perceived corruption in government, a crashing economy, slow political reforms, and more recently the coronavirus outbreak.
Out or Nothing
President Keita has pledged to dissolve the newly elected national assembly and the constitutional court, forming a new unity government that will include opposition figures as well as increasing the salaries of teachers. However, these moves have not yielded a truce with protesters who insist he must resign.
“We are here for the final victory, there is no negotiation possible,” Mamadou Diakite, a 42-year-old teacher told AFP News. Mr Keita came into office in 2013 with a promise to unify the country after a coup and an Islamic insurgency and was re-elected for a second term in August 2018.
Human Rights in Mali
The human rights situation in the landlocked country started deteriorating in 2018 as the army committed atrocities during counterterrorism operations against armed Islamist groups killing hundreds and triggering a humanitarian crisis, Human Rights Watch reports. Also, the reelection of the incumbent was marred with insecurity, irregularities and a ban on demonstrations.
Now that one of the largest demonstrations in the history of the country has occurred, it remains to see whether President Keita will bow to pressure and resign.
The United Nations’ Secretary-General has called for “calm and dialogue.”
