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On Wednesday, Mali’s military leader spoke of election preparations to transition the country back to democratic rule. While the statement marks a rare acknowledgment of civilian demands, the absence of a set timeline continues to raise questions about the credibility of the military’s intentions.
A record of the council of ministers meeting revealed that General Assimi Goita, Mali’s junta chief, had urged the government to prioritize the preparation of conditions necessary for free, transparent, and peaceful elections.
Amid Mali’s volatile political scene, the junta’s remarks are a notable departure from its usual silence on the issue of transferring power back to civilian hands.
The recent removal of Mali’s civilian prime minister, who had criticized the junta, served as a clear indication of the army’s continued stranglehold on the country’s political power.
The elections Goita outlined on Wednesday are meant to “put an end to the transition”—a period the junta describes as critical for restoring stability to a country ravaged by jihadist violence and political turmoil before a return to civilian governance.
After taking power in back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, the military initially committed under international pressure to give way to civilians in March 2024 after a presidential election.
But the junta since reneged on that promise without setting a deadline for a new vote.
Since 2020 the army has overseen the country’s break with Mali’s former imperial master France, pivoting towards Russia instead.
If the military does call a presidential election, Goita is expected to run in it, despite initial commitments by the military not to seek office after the return to civilian rule.
Since 2012, Mali has been plunged into a political and security crisis fuelled by attacks from jihadist and other armed groups, as well as a separatist struggle in the desert north.
