A coalition of political parties and civil society organizations in Mali is urging the country’s Supreme Court to overturn the ruling junta’s decision to suspend political activities.
Since a coup in 2020, Mali has been under military rule, leading to escalating tensions over the government’s failure to fulfill election promises and its recent imposition of restrictions on political engagement in the name of maintaining public order.
In a joint statement, the alliance of political and civil society groups opposing the April 10 decree stated that they have collectively appealed to Mali’s highest court to invalidate what they see as an oppressive and tyrannical ruling.
The timeline for the court’s review of the appeal remains uncertain at this point.
Following a second coup in 2021, the current junta in Mali had pledged to transition back to civilian rule by March 2024, with elections initially scheduled for February this year. However, in September, the authorities postponed the elections indefinitely citing technical issues, raising concerns about democratic regression in the West and Central African regions, where there have been eight coups in the past four years.
“We are observing the shrinking of civic space and a power grab,” remarked Drissa Traore, the Secretary-General of the International Federation for Human Rights, FIDH. He further stated that with the recent decree, the Malian authorities are reinforcing their efforts to suppress dissenting voices and push the country towards an unprecedented dictatorial regime.