Mali still in the throes of national crisis protests

The revolts continue in Mali against the government of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and the police repression that has already left dozens of people dead, according to the opposition.

Since the latest violent protests began last week, there have been clashes between the demonstrators and the African country's security forces who want to repress the citizens' marches. 

At the centre of the opposition wave is the June 5th Movement and the Regrouping of Patriotic Forces (M5-RFP), which accused the Malian government of practising "premeditated summary executions and arbitrary arrests" against the demonstrators and their leaders. It also regretted that the executive employs the special anti-terrorist forces (FORSAT) to repress the demonstrators and stifle popular demand, using "weapons of war systematically" against civilians.

It was reported that this repressive attitude also caused hundreds of injuries, although the Malian government claimed that a total of 158 people were injured in last week's protests, including demonstrators and security agents.

"The wave of violence that spread through the city of Bamako caused the loss of life and enormous material damage to public buildings and property, as well as to people and their possessions," an official government note said.

The statement added that Prime Minister Boubou Cisse ordered an investigation to determine responsibility for these events and to assess the extent of the damage caused.

The latest escalation of violence erupted on 10 July when the opposition coalition formed by the M5-RFP declared civil disobedience until the overthrow of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, among other demands.

The visible head of the Malian opposition is the Muslim Sheikh Mahmoud Dicko, but he has dissociated himself from the path of civil disobedience adopted by most of the opposition.

Faced with the upsurge in violence, Dicko called for calm and asked for confrontations to be avoided, without giving up his determination to overthrow President Boubacar Keita's system. "I again call on Malian youth to show restraint and calm. We can really achieve all that we seek with patience and good manners. Avoid any kind of violence," the opposition leader stressed in statements to the French radio station RFI.

Mali's ongoing crises, from the economy to security, have finally erupted into this broad protest movement against President Boubacar Keita. Now, conservative leader Mahmoud Dicko has become one of the most followed figures to challenge an increasingly discredited political class in the eyes of the public.

The imam is once again on the front line of the opposition movement after the demonstrations a year ago. Thousands of demonstrators have now been able to take to the streets of Bamako, the capital of Mali, to demand the resignation of Boubacar Keita. The protests accuse Keita and his government of being incapable of dealing with Mali's multiple crises, from the Jihadist insurgency in the north of the country, to the intercommunal violence plaguing the centre of the nation, to the difficult economic situation in the south, where 90% of the country's population lives. 

Following Dicko's declaration of intent, Malian authorities released seven M5-RFP leaders, including Issa Kaou Djim, Clément Dembele, Mountaga Tall, Choguel Maiga and Nouhoum Sarr, who were arrested during the outbreak of protests just over a week ago.

The capital Bamako and other cities in Mali have already been the scene of mass protests in recent months against the results of last April's legislative elections, which gave victory to political parties linked to the president of the nation. Opposition groups consider that the current National Assembly is illegitimate due to the falsification of the results of those elections, so they call for its dissolution. They also demand the resignation of the Constitutional Court for validating these election results and not taking into consideration the appeals of the opposition parties. 

The M5-RFP continues to demand the resignation of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and continues to call for protest marches and remembrance of the victims of the repression of the latest demonstrations.

Mountaga Tall, one of the leaders, indicated that the M5-RFP was returning to its "initial demand", which is the "resignation of Keita". The opponent recalled that, at the request of the international community, this demand was withdrawn, but that after the violent repression by the security forces, the Malian president's departure was again demanded. 

Last Friday's riots and clashes came after a call for civil disobedience. This was followed by an attack on the headquarters of the National Assembly and the seizure of the country's public television stations, as well as the blockade of various locations in the capital Bamako. The Tall himself pointed out that recourse could be had to the International Criminal Court for what happened and noted that the movement was not violent.