Bamako, Mali — Mali’s civilian Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga called Saturday on the country’s military leaders to discuss ending the so-called “transition” period, in a rare criticism of the ruling junta.

The country has been ruled by the military since successive coups in 2020 and 2021.

In June 2022, the junta pledged to hold elections and hand power back to civilians by the end of March 2024, but then postponed the vote indefinitely.

“The Transition was supposed to end on March 26, 2024. But it was postponed indefinitely, unilaterally, without debate within the government,” Maiga told supporters of his M5-RFP movement, in a speech published on Facebook by local media.

“Even today, there is no debate on the issue. The prime minister is reduced to relying on press rumors or a haphazard interpretation of the actions of the minister of territorial administration and decentralization,” he added.

“The specter of confusion and confusion hangs over the transition, with, even if I have to repeat myself, the risks of serious challenges and risks of going backwards,” continued Maiga.

However, he praised the armed forces and called for unity and “respect for political authorities, the guarantor of strength and stability.”

In May, the M5-RFP movement issued a statement openly criticizing Mali’s military leaders after they failed to meet a deadline to return power to civilians.

An ally of Maiga who signed the statement was sentenced to a year in prison in July, before being released in September after his sentence was commuted.

Eleven people who had criticized the junta’s actions were arrested in June for “conspiring against legal authorities.”

Since 2012, Mali has been plunged into a political and security crisis, fueled by attacks by jihadi groups and other armed groups, as well as clashes with separatist forces in the north of the country. 
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