Mali’s Ex-Prime Minister Moussa Mara Arrested for Backing Jailed Critics of Military Junta

Former Mali Prime Minister Moussa Mara was arrested on Friday after expressing support for political detainees held by the country’s ruling military junta, according to a report published by The Associated Press on Saturday. His lawyer and a close associate confirmed the arrest, which comes amid an intensifying crackdown on dissent.

According to the report, Mara was taken into pretrial detention on the orders of a cybercrime prosecutor. His lawyer, Mountaga Tall said Mara is facing multiple charges including “undermining state authority, inciting public disorder, and spreading false information.”

“We are contesting the charges and the detention,” Tall wrote in a post on X.

‘We Will Fight By All Means’

The charges, the report said, stem from a 4th July social media post where Mara revealed he had visited jailed critics of the junta. In the post, he wrote, “As long as the night lasts, the sun will obviously appear!” “We will fight by all means for this to happen as soon as possible!” he added. 

Mara’s close associate Abdoulaye Yaro told the news agency that his arrest was linked to showing “compassion for people jailed for political beliefs.”

An official within the cybercrime unit told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity that Mara had been accused of “damaging the state’s credibility.” His trial is scheduled for 29 September this year.

Crackdown Intensifies Under Military Rule

Mara’s detention is the latest in a wave of what critics say is the country facing repression under the leadership of Gen. Assimi Goita, who assumed power through coups organised in 2020 and 2021. Although the junta had promised to restore civilian rule by March 2024, they dissolved political parties in May and instead extended Goita’s rule by five more years in June.

Notably, the arrest also follows Mali’s first pro-democracy rally in years.

Mali, a landlocked nation in Africa’s volatile Sahel region, has faced years of instability, worsened by conflict and extremist violence.