The Coup In Mali

8/21/20

Since June of 2020, the people of Mali have taken to the streets calling for Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, who had been in power since 2013, to resign as president of Mali. This came after an election fraught with corruption and marred by violence, including the kidnapping of opposition leader Soumaila Cissé and other village chiefs and election officials, as well as jihadist and ethnic violence that has plagued the country for decades. The protests were also in response to a floundering economy.

On the 18th of August, soldiers of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, a rebel group led by Colonel Assimi Goita, took over a military base in Kati, 15 kilometers from the capital, Bamako. The soldiers then made their way to the capital and arrested multiple government officials, including Minister of Finance Abdoulaye Daffe, Prime Minister Boubou Cissé, and President Keïta (1). Protesters gathered at Bamako's Independence Monument to demand Keïta's resignation. Keïta resigned around midnight of the 19th, dissolving the rest of the government along with him (2).

Upon taking power, the coup government closed all borders and imposed a night time curfew (3), likely in order to ensure a smooth transition and to solidify their power. They have promised to hold elections within a “reasonable timeline”, and invited opposition leaders to have talks for the new elections. It is unclear when and how the elections will be held, except that they will happen within the year. They have also committed to ending corruption and ethnic and jihadist violence, but have not yet put forth any specifics on how they will do so. This lack of transparency has many concerned about the future of the government. There are also concerns that jihadists in the northern deserts could take advantage of the coup, as they did in 2012. While the people of Mali are happy about the ousting of Keïta, there are still many uncertainties, and the country is holding its breath.

The international response has since been disturbing. The coup has been condemned by representatives of the African Union, the United Nations, and the European Union, as well as more than fifteen countries. The UNSC has called for the soldiers to release the detainees (4), as did Amnesty International (5). The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed sanctions on Mali (6), and called for Keïta to be reinstated. “Mali is in a critical situation, with serious risks that a collapse of the state and institutions leads to reversals in the fight against terrorism and organised crime, with every consequence for all our community,” ECOWAS said at a video summit. ECOWAS also ordered a build-up of the ECOWAS Stand-By Force (7), which has intervened in other crises in the region, but normally in much smaller countries than Mali. On the 22nd of August, leaders from ECOWAS arrived in Bamako to press for a reversal of the coup, saying that "our sub-region no longer accepts the forceful takeover of power.” (8) After a short meeting with the junta, ECOWAS significantly softened its opinion on the coup government, and the junta has guaranteed elections within the year (9).

While the coup itself is concerning in its ambiguity and lack of transparency, the international response is dangerous, as the people of Mali seem to be in support of the coup, because it ousted much-maligned president Keïta. The juxtaposition between the international response and the domestic response has been striking. There have been celebrations all over the country at the president's removal, yet imperialist powers and the ECOWAS still recklessly attack it. After one meeting with the junta, their stance has softened, which is an excellent example of why it is unadvised to go in guns blazing, if your agenda is truly the well-being of the people. The introduction of sanctions and aggressive international opposition will only hamper and destabilize the already staggering country even further, and will not help the movement forward for Mali. Such is the nature of imperialism.

1. Maclean, Ruth (18 August 2020). "Mali's President and Prime Minister Arrested in Military Coup". The New York Times.

2. "Soldiers take up arms as Mali crisis deepens". Al Jazeera. 18 August 2020.

3. "Mali's president resigns and dissolves parliament". BBC News.

4. Nichols, Michelle; (ed.) Nomiyama, Chizu (19 August 2020). "U.N. Security Council condemns mutiny in Mali, urges soldiers return to barracks". Reuters.

5. "Mali: Military authorities must end arbitrary arrests and ensure the investigation of unlawful killing of four people". www.amnesty.org.

6. "Mali President Resigns After Military Mutiny, Dissolves Parliament". allAfrica.com. DW News.

7. “Mali coup: Military junta seeks transitional president”. BBC News.

8. Ibukun, Yinka (22 August 2020). “West African Leaders Arrive in Mali to Press for Coup Reversal”. Bloomberg.

9. Hoije, Katarina; Mieu, Baudelaire (23 August 2020). “West Africa Leaders Soften Stance on Return of Mali Leader”. Bloomberg.