The military leadership in Mali appointed Major General Abdoulaye Maiga as the country’s new prime minister, following the dismissal of civilian premier Choguel Kokalla Maiga on Wednesday.
The move comes after the ousted prime minister publicly criticized the junta’s handling of the transition to civilian rule.
The appointment was announced in a decree signed by junta leader General Assimi Goïta and read on state television by the presidency’s secretary-general.
“Major General Abdoulaye Maiga is appointed prime minister,” the decree stated.
Previously serving as the government’s spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga has been a key ally of the military regime despite not being part of the group of colonels who orchestrated the August 2020 coup that ousted the civilian president.
His promotion to general and subsequent appointment as prime minister underscore the military’s tightening grip on power.
Mali has been under military rule since successive coups in 2020 and 2021, amid ongoing jihadist and separatist violence in the region.
The dismissal of Choguel Kokalla Maiga follows his criticism of the junta’s lack of transparency regarding the timeline for returning to civilian governance.
In June 2022, the junta promised to hold elections and transition to a civilian government by March 2024, but elections have since been postponed indefinitely.
The latest appointment signals a continued consolidation of power by the military leadership, further delaying hopes for democratic governance in the troubled West African nation.
AFP
