Politics

Mali’s PM dismissed for criticising the junta

Published

1 month ago

November 21, 2024

According to official media ORTM on Wednesday, Mali’s Prime Minister, Choguel Maiga, was dismissed for criticising the junta’s inability to hold elections within the 24 months allotted for the country’s return to democracy.

Elections were scheduled for February, but the military authorities, who took control in two separate coups in 2020 and 2021, postponed the poll indefinitely for technical reasons.

Maiga said last week that he learnt of the junta’s decision via the media and that there had been no discussion inside the administration over the postponing of the elections.

“It’s all happening in total secrecy, without the prime minister’s knowledge,” Maiga told reporters on Saturday.

According to a source close to Maiga, his remarks caused the junta to become agitated and postpone a ministerial council meeting that was scheduled for Wednesday, as reported by Reuters.

Maiga fiercely supported Mali’s junta in the face of criticism from foreign friends and neighbours in West Africa for its repeated election delays and military collaboration with Russian mercenaries.

The measure would require Maiga’s successor to confer with Assimi Goïta, the acting president, before forming a new cabinet.

Maiga was Mali’s minister of commerce under former President Amadou Toumani Toure and minister of the digital economy under former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita before being appointed prime minister in 2021.

Before his fall, Maiga led the M5-RFP opposition alliance, which led demonstrations against Keita.

Related Topics:Featured Mali Military Junta

Click to comment

Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.