Mali's Military Junta Faces International Pressure to Name Civilian Leader

A Mali military vehicle proceeds through the streets of Bamako, the nation’s capital, after deposing former president Ibrahim Keïta and his regime. The military’s actions were well received by the people of Bamako, who have long been frustrated by corruption and weak responses to terror threats from the national government. Source.

The northwestern African nation of Mali currently faces tensions between the junta of military leaders who have taken charge of the government, and the 15-nation regional block known as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). On August 18th, Mali’s former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta announced the dissolution of his regime as a result of a rebellion, during which military officials arrested Keïta and his prime minister Boubou Cissé earlier that same day. There had been a rising level of anger at the regime’s corrupt practices and incompetence ever since the constitutional court overturned the result of parliamentary elections in March and April - an election in which Keïta’s party did poorly. The political opposition made it clear that anything short of Keïta’s removal would be intolerable. Instability in both Mali and the region has led ECOWAS to establish a deadline for the military regime to name an interim civilian leader by September 22nd, 2020. 

ECOWAS has also set an ultimatum for Mali’s military leaders to hold new elections within the year, as opposed to the junta’s original plan to remain in power for three more years. The leader of Mali’s transition will be a critical figure in the development of the country. Predictably, there is a large debate regarding who the new leader should be, and the junta has said the leader may come from the military. The regional leaders of ECOWAS have shown room to compromise about the timing of new elections, with the one year timeline possibly being extended to 18 months. The spirit of compromise does not however extend to the appointment of a new leader, who ECOWAS insist must be a civilian.

Keïta was overthrown, in part, due to his ineffectiveness in dealing with Islamic insurgents. However, there is increasing concern that the recent political changes will hinder efforts to stop Mali's growing insurgency. In 2012, extremists took control of major cities in north Mali after a coup similar to the one earlier this year. It took a military intervention by France to push the extremists out, as well as a continued effort from the international effort to fight terrorism over the last seven years. According to Ghana's president Nana Afuko-Addo, who is the ECOWAS chairman, “The terrorists are taking advantage of the situation in Mali to flex their muscles even more.” 

Important regions of the country have been destabilized and the violence has spread to Burkina Faso and Niger. “Mali’s internal governance and security challenges are driving instability across the Sahel,” said Kyle Murphy with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Many members of the international community, including France, the United States and the United Nations, have condemned the junta because of how they took power as well and the fallout since. On the other hand, the Malian people took to the streets of Bamako, the nation's capital, to celebrate. Although a military regime may not be what the Malian people are looking for, it is possible that the junta’s interim leader could pull the country together. Stopping insurgency and bringing stability to the region is a priority for ECOWAS, while the Malian people are likely looking for an anti-corruption regime that can display strength, after years of security concerns in their nation.

Mali is at an inflection point and it will be crucial for the global community to see where the nation goes from here and support its strides toward stability. Years of insurgency and fighting in Mali has spilled over to neighboring states and the state has the opportunity to turn both their domestic and international relationships around with a new regime. The interactions between the supranational  ECOWAS and the new leaders of Mali will shape the lives of the  Malian people as well as the region for years to come.