Mali - The African Mirror

May

2023

Mali sets date for delayed vote, saying it’s true to its word on democracy

MALI'S military government set a new date for a delayed constitutional referendum meant to pave the way for presidential elections next year. The vote, initially scheduled for March 19, is the first in a series of polls meant to restore democracy in the West African country after two military takeovers since August 2020. It was delayed days before that date to give electoral management authorities more time to set up in all of Mali's 19 administrative regions. Government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga announced on state television on Friday that the referendum would now take place on June 18. He added that the new…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Activists walk from Bamako to Ouagadougou to promote states’ federation

NEWS

A small group of activists have been walking from Mali's capital Bamako to Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou to express their support for a federation between the two West African states. The group are due to arrive in Ouagadougou on Tuesday where they will end their march at the Thomas Sankara memorial, a tribute to the former president and noted pan-Africanist. The prime ministers of Mali and Burkina Faso said last month they would examine the idea of creating a federation. It is not clear exactly what that would entail. The two countries share a long border and face similar challenges.…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Mali expels U.N. mission’s human rights chief

NEWS

THE Malian interim government said the head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission's human rights division had 48 hours to leave the country as he had been declared persona non grata. In a statement, it said the decision to expel Guillaume Ngefa-Atondoko Andali was connected to his allegedly biased choice of civil society witnesses for U.N. Security Council briefings on Mali, the most recent of which was held on January 27. The U.N. mission in Mali MINUSMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Andali could not be reached for comment. The Malian authorities have come under pressure for…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Mali sentences 46 Ivorian soldiers to 20 years for conspiring against government

NEWS

A court in Mali sentenced 46 soldiers from Ivory Coast to 20 years imprisonment for conspiring against the government, and three others to death in absentia. Forty-nine Ivorian soldiers were arrested at the airport in Mali's capital Bamako in July, three of whom were later released. Their arrests led to a diplomatic dispute between the neighbouring countries and widespread condemnation from regional allies. Mali's ruling junta said the soldiers were acting as mercenaries, while Ivory Coast said they were part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission. They were charged with attempting to undermine state security in August and convicted at…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

Russia to ship food and fuel to Mali

NEWS

MALI expects Russia to send shipments of fuel, fertiliser and food worth around $100 million to Mali in the coming weeks, the West African country's economy minister, Alousseini Sanou, has said. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the provision of such supplies with his Malian counterpart in August - a sign of deepening ties as Bamako's relationship soured with its long-time ally and former colonial ruler, France. Speaking on national television from Moscow, Sanou said Russia was going to send 60,000 tonnes of petroleum products, 30,000 tonnes of fertiliser and 25,000 tonnes of wheat. Mali's ruling military junta came to power in a…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

Mapping the contours of Jihadist groups in the Sahel

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE Sahel region, an area covering 3 million sq km, has been a hotbed of Islamic Jihadi groups in recent years. FOLAHANMI AINA, Doctoral Candidate in Leadership Studies, King's College London Today, the region has no fewer than seven insurgent groups scattered in six countries. The area stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean and encompasses a dozen countries. These include Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, The Gambia, Guinea, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal. Jihadi groups have taken advantage of a number of underlying conditions, which fuel local grievances across the Sahel. These include endemic…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

Three French soldiers killed in Mali

NEWS

THREE French soldiers were killed in Mali yesterday when their armoured vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device while in operations in the region of Hombori, the French Presidency said in a statement. The soldiers, on a mission in the southern region of Hombori, were part of France's Barkhane military operations in Mali against Islamic fighters.

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

Egypt and Mali claim U18 AfroBasket Honours

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO MALI’S U18 men’s national team won their second straight Federation International Basketball (FIBA) U18 African championship title after edging Senegal 82 - 80 in their finals matchup in Cairo, Egypt. https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1336772508159270913 The young Malian team were defeated by their Senegalese adversaries earlier in the week, but rose up to take the title with a last minute dynamic style. Both teams have booked their place in the 2021 U19 World Cup. Mali were helped by their young star Bourama Coulibaly, who was named tournament MVP, for his standout performances throughout the week. https://twitter.com/EBBFED/status/1336791753505050627 The Women’s championship ran concurrently with…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

Mali coup figure named head of transition council

NEWS

ONE of the army officers behind an August coup in Mali has been named to lead a new transitional legislative body, a spokesman for the authorities said. The appointment boosts the number of military figures in key roles, something that has dismayed some political factions. After the ouster of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on August 18, hopes of a civilian-led transition were dashed by the appointment of the junta's leader as vice president, while retired colonel Bah Ndaw became president. At its inaugural meeting, a transitional council of 121 members has now approved as its president Colonel Malick Diaw, one…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Suspected jihadist freed by Mali is detained in Algeria

NEWS

ALGERIA’S defence ministry has announced that it has detained a suspected jihadist militant who was released this month by Mali as part of a prisoner swap, underscoring its fears of insecurity in the Sahel region. Mustapha Derar, an Algerian national, was arrested in Tlemcen after security forces tracked him from his crossing of the border into Algeria, the ministry said in a statement. Derar had joined a terrorist group in 2012, it added. Mali, grappling with an Islamist insurrection, released scores of prisoners including suspected militants early this month, days before jihadists freed four hostages: a Malian politician, a French…