In a sweeping move that further consolidates military control, Mali’s transitional president, Colonel Assimi Goïta, signed a decree on Tuesday dissolving all political parties and banning any political gatherings across the country. The announcement was made by Minister Delegate Mamani Nassire in a televised address following an extraordinary cabinet meeting.
“Political parties and organizations of a political nature are dissolved throughout the national territory,” Nassire declared, reading from the decree signed by Goïta, who seized power in the 2021 coup and has since led the West African nation under a transitional government.
The decree also prohibits former party members from holding any form of political meeting. The drastic decision comes amid escalating tensions in the capital, Bamako, where pro-democracy demonstrations have grown in recent weeks. Activists and political leaders have reported an increase in arrests and kidnappings linked to the protests.
Despite opposition from civil society groups and political leaders, the National Transition Council—the country’s interim legislative body—voted in favor of the decree on Monday, endorsing its earlier adoption by the Council of Ministers.
“This decision deals a severe blow to the reconciliation process that began last year,” wrote former Prime Minister Moussa Mara on social media platform X.
Critics have called the move unconstitutional and vowed to challenge it legally. Nouhoum Togo, leader of the now-defunct Union for the Safeguard of the Republic party, said his group plans to appeal to Mali’s Constitutional Court.
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“Political parties are recognized by the Malian constitution,” Togo stated. “We will continue our struggle as citizens and as part of civil society to restore democratic governance.”
Mali has remained under military rule since 2021, and the latest developments signal a deepening political crisis in a country already grappling with insecurity and instability.
