Mali’s former prime minister will face trial for a social media post, according to Attorney
Former Prime Minister Moussa Mara was arrested and accused by a Malian court late Friday over a social media post that criticized the West African country’s dwindling political space under military control.
Only a few public personalities in the nation, including Mara, have been prepared to publicly criticize actions taken this year to disband political parties and give the military government, headed by Assimi Goita, a five-year term without presidential elections.
Authorities formally authorized Goita’s five-year tenure last month, with the option to extend it as often as needed as Mali fights a protracted terrorist war.
In 2020, Goita took over following military takeovers in 2021.
This month, Mara was repeatedly called in for interrogation because of a July 4 social media post in which she expressed support for incarcerated government critics.
Mountaga Tall, his attorney, announced on social media platform X on July 21 that Mara had been denied access to a plane scheduled to travel to Senegal for a regional peace and security meeting.
“A prosecutor charged Mara with offenses such as spreading false information and undermining the state’s credibility after he was summoned by a judicial cybercrimes unit on Friday,” Tall added.
According to Tall, the trial for Mara has been set for September 29.
An inquiry was not immediately answered by a government spokesperson.
Mara’s story comes as Mali’s level of insecurity continues to rise. An al-Qaeda-affiliated organization that also operates in Burkina Faso and Niger, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), has increased the number of fatal strikes in recent months.
Through raids on military installations, cattle rustling, hijacking of products, kidnappings, and taxes on local populations, analysts claim the group has accumulated significant resources and developed increasingly sophisticated battlefield tactics.
In the central Mali town of Tenenkou, the gang claimed to have ambushed a convoy of Russian mercenaries and Malian soldiers on Friday. Mali’s army issued a statement on X confirming the ambush. Neither claim included a fatality toll.
