Mali’s PM Choguel Maiga sacked after criticizing the Junta, cabinet dismissed

The head of the Malian junta, Assimi Goita.

Published 10:40 AM ET, Thursday November 21, 2024

Bamako: Mali’s junta dismissed civilian Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga and the cabinet, just days after Maiga voiced a rare criticism of the military rulers.

“The duties of the prime minister and the members of the government are terminated,” said a decree issued by Colonel Assimi Goita and read out by the secretary general of the presidency on state television station ORTM.

Appointed by the military in 2021 following Mali’s second coup in a year, Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maïga publicly criticized the junta on November 16 during events marking the November 2023 recapture of Kidal. Dressed in military attire despite being a civilian, Maïga voiced frustration over his exclusion from key decisions, particularly regarding the timeline for the nation’s political transition.

Demonstrators in the capital and many cities in the country called for Maiga’s resignation.

A section of the Malian military known as the Collective of Military Defense (CDM) is accusing Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maïga of “treason” and “denunciation” following his criticism of the ruling generals.

Mali’s Prime Minister Choguel Maiga addresses the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters on Sept. 25, 2021

On Saturday, Choguel Maiga doubled down on his criticism, publicly condemning the lack of clarity regarding the end of the transition to civilian rule. He said the confusion could pose “serious challenges and the risk of going backwards.”

This is a developing story.