Mali – PM ousted by the military, new PM appointed

Mali is in a difficult situation at the moment. After a period of competitive and relatively successful democracy from 1991/1992, there was a coup earlier in March this year. This was followed by the de facto annexation of the northern part of the country by Islamists and the creation of the so-called territory of Azawad.

The March coup was led by Captain Amadou Sanogo. It occurred just before the presidential election. President Amadou Toumani Touré, who was not standing for re-election, was ousted. Those responsible for the coup claimed that he was not dealing properly with the then Tuareg rebellion in the north. The Constitution was also suspended.

In April the Constitution was reinstated. Dioncounda Traoré was appointed President and Cheick Modibo Diarra was appointed as PM. There is no timetable for elections.

On Monday night PM Diarra was taken into custody by the military and he was obliged to step down. On Tuesday morning he announced that the government had resigned. President Traoré soon announced his replacement as Django Sissoko, who was previously the Secretary-General of the Presidency from 2008 to 2011 and the Ombudsman from 2011 to 2012.

Captain Sanogo has since claimed that PM Diarra was forced to resign because he was not respecting the office of the presidency. He has claimed that the act was not another coup. Generally, it seems to be a reaction to the fragmentation of political debate following the coup in March. Overall, Sanogo seems to want to restore order without taking power himself.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *