By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A Malian court on Friday granted bail to 11 opposition leaders who had been detained since June for allegedly plotting against the ruling military junta, following their call for a return to democratic rule.
The bail, which provisionally frees them from detention, is viewed as part of efforts to ease the country’s political tension in the wake of the controversial appointment of Gen. Abdoulaye Maïga as prime minister by the junta.
Since 2020, Mali has been under military rule following a coup that overthrew the civilian government. This was followed by another coup in 2021.
The 11 opposition figures were arrested on June 20 during what the military described as an “illegal” meeting, which took place while the junta had imposed a ban on the activities of political parties.
They were charged with plotting against the military government after signing a declaration calling for the military to relinquish power.
“The 11 comrades of the March 31st Declaration platform of political parties and associations have been freed,” former Malian minister Djiguiba Keita, whose opposition Party for National Rebirth (Parena) is a signatory of the declaration, said Friday.
“This release is the result of a process we initiated to ask the authorities to free our comrades as part of the effort to calm the political climate in the country,” The Associated Press quoted him as saying.
Issa Togo, a member of the Adema PASJ party and a former deputy to the National Assembly, said all 11 “are free to resume their political activities and travel.”
Several other prominent political leaders and civil society activists remain in prison in Mali, including Issa Kaou N’Djim, the former vice-president of the National Transitional Council, the legislative body of Mali’s transition, and the economist Etienne Fakaba Sissoko. Both have criticized military rule in Africa.
Since 2020, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have experienced military coups that dislodged civilian governments. They have defied appeals by the UN and regional bloc ECOWAS to return to democratic rule.
Instead, they have signed a pact to form the Alliance of Sahel States, pledging security and economic cooperation with one another.
In Mali, Maïga was appointed prime minister in November, the day after Choguel Maïga (no relation), a civilian prime minister who criticized the junta for postponing the presidential election scheduled for 2024, was removed by junta leader Gen. Assimi Goïta.
