Mali’s Junta Chief Dismisses Prime Minister and Government Amid Growing Tensions
Mali’s junta leader, Colonel Assimi Goita, dismissed civilian Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga and his government on Wednesday, just days after Maiga voiced rare public criticism of the military regime.
“The duties of the prime minister and the members of the government are terminated,” read a decree issued by Goita and announced by the presidency’s secretary general on state television ORTM.
The West African nation, grappling with persistent jihadist and separatist violence, has been under military rule since coups in 2020 and 2021. In June 2022, the junta pledged to organize elections and transfer power to civilians by March 2024. However, those elections have since been postponed indefinitely.
Maiga, appointed by the military in 2021, publicly criticized the lack of transparency about the transition to civilian rule on Saturday, warning that the ambiguity could lead to “serious challenges and the risk of going backwards.”
Viewed as increasingly marginalized in his role, Maiga’s dismissal further deepens uncertainty in a nation already struggling with political instability and security crises. Since 2012, Mali has faced relentless attacks by jihadist groups, armed factions, and separatists in the north.
