Mali Junta Chief Secures Five-Year Term, Opposition Fears Grow

By Ollus Ndomu

Mali’s military ruler, Gen Assimi Goïta, has secured a renewable five-year presidential mandate from the transitional parliament, cementing his grip on power until at least 2030, a move that many fear could silence dissent and bury any hope for elections in the near future.

The transitional bill, passed unanimously by 131 members of the National Transitional Council on Thursday, states the term can be renewed “as many times as necessary” until the country is “pacified.” This sweeping extension comes despite Goïta’s earlier promises of a swift return to civilian rule.

“The adoption of this text is in accordance with the popular will,” declared Malick Diaw, president of the transitional parliament, as he hailed it a “major step forward” for Mali’s rebuilding. But opposition figures and rights groups see it as the opposite,a clear entrenchment of military rule.

The 41-year-old colonel first seized power in August 2020, overthrowing President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta amid massive protests over insecurity and economic hardship. Under pressure from West Africa’s regional bloc Ecowas, Goïta agreed to a transitional charter with elections promised within 18 months.

But after a falling-out with the civilian interim government, Goïta staged a second coup in May 2021, removing his civilian partners and tightening the military’s control. Since then, his government has repeatedly delayed promised elections, citing rising jihadist violence and national security concerns.

The same security crisis that toppled Keïta has only worsened under military rule. Jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State continue to launch deadly raids, including simultaneous attacks on army posts across Mali just this week, the third such large-scale assault in a month.

Critics warn the new law could embolden the junta to clamp down harder on political parties and activists. In May, the transitional authorities banned all political parties and associations “until further notice,” claiming they threatened national unity. This effectively shut down organised opposition.

Goïta has also realigned Mali’s foreign ties, expelling French forces, deepening military cooperation with Russia, and forging a new regional alliance with fellow coup leaders in Burkina Faso and Niger. The three juntas have jointly withdrawn from Ecowas, accusing the bloc of unfairly meddling in their affairs.

“The army has failed to pacify Mali — now they want to pacify democracy too,” said a Bamako-based political analyst, reflecting a growing sense that Mali’s democratic transition, once so close, is drifting out of reach.

With the new mandate, Mali’s junta leader now has a legal runway to rule for years without a ballot box. For millions of Malians already reeling from violence, economic hardship and deepening isolation, the promise of democratic renewal has rarely felt so far away.

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