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The appointment places all three branches of Mali’s transitional government — the presidency, the National Transitional Council (acting as the legislative body), and the prime minister’s office — firmly under military control.
Mali’s military junta appointed a new prime minister from within its military ranks. Earlier, the junta dismissed the civilian prime minister who had openly criticized the regime. Analysts feel that the appointment suggests increasing military control over the governance.
Since the first coup, Mali has been under the junta’s rule since 2020. A second coup followed in 2021. Earlier on Wednesday, civilian prime minister Choguel Maïga was removed from office after criticizing the junta for delaying the presidential election originally scheduled for 2024. His dismissal was announced in a presidential decree issued by Gen. Assimi Goïta, Mali’s military leader, and read on the state broadcaster, ORTM, as reported by www.trendsnafrica.com. In a quick succession of vents, on the next day, Gen. Abdoulaye Maïga was named as the replacement.
The appointment places all three branches of Mali’s transitional government — the presidency, the National Transitional Council (acting as the legislative body), and the prime minister’s office — firmly under military control.
Gen. Abdoulaye Maïga, 43, has held several key roles under the junta, including minister of territorial administration, government spokesman, and deputy prime minister. Analysts believe his close ties to Goïta played a decisive role in his selection.
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Abdoulaye Maïga, known for his fiery rhetoric is one of the five officers directly involved in the 2020 coup. He quickly rose to prominence within the junta and became a key figure in the transitional government. During the U.N. General Assembly in September, he sharply criticised Algerian diplomats who accused the Malian army of killing civilians near the border with Algeria. Since taking power, Mali’s military rulers have tightened their control over the country, cracking down on dissent by severely restricting freedom of expression.
