Faith Nyasuguta
Mali’s military ruler, Assimi Goita, is poised to extend his leadership for five more years after a national conference of political stakeholders proposed appointing him as president. The recommendation follows a three-day dialogue in the capital, Bamako, where delegates also called for dissolving all existing political parties and imposing tougher conditions on forming new ones.
The proposals reflect a major shift in Mali’s political direction as military influence deepens. While the government hasn’t formally confirmed implementation, observers expect the changes to be enacted swiftly.
Mali has been under military rule since August 2020, when Colonel Goita led a coup that ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. A second coup in 2021 cemented his control. The country is now part of a wider regional trend, with military regimes also in Burkina Faso and Niger, raising alarms among some democracy advocates.
Initially, Mali’s junta agreed, under international pressure, to a civilian-led transition and scheduled elections for early 2022. But the timeline has been repeatedly delayed. Following a power struggle with the interim civilian president, the military scrapped the original transition plan and consolidated control.
Goita, now 41, has since ruled as transitional president and was promoted to five-star general in October 2024. His government says security remains the top priority, citing the decade-long insurgency by jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in Mali’s north and central regions.
Critics argue that the revolutionary leader is using security concerns as a pretext to extend military rule indefinitely. In April 2023, the regime suspended political party activities, citing national unity, before lifting the ban in July. That move, coupled with calls to dissolve all existing parties, suggests an intent to overhaul Mali’s political landscape entirely.
The latest conference has drawn mixed reactions, with supporters hailing it as a step toward “stability” and detractors calling it a “rubber stamp” for authoritarian rule.
As Mali continues to drift from civilian governance, many now wonder whether Goita’s extended rule will bring order or bury democracy for the foreseeable future.
RELATED:
