On 13 May, Mali’s junta formally dissolved all political parties and associations through a decree read on national television. The move comes two weeks after a government-organised national consultation recommended appointing transitional leader Gen. Assimi Goïta as president for a renewable five-year term and dismantling multiparty democracy. The consultation, boycotted by nearly all political parties, was denounced as a sham process aimed at consolidating military rule. On 30 April, the junta repealed the charter governing political parties, in what legal experts said was a precursor to their full dissolution. Delegates from the consultation also recommended suspending all election planning until the country is ‘pacified’, asserting that the current leaders need more time to govern. In the build-up to the national consultation, around 100 political parties formed a coalition to confront what they anticipated as the junta's intention to dissolve them. In a rare public statement on 26 April, the coalition accused the authorities of seeking to eliminate political pluralism.

Update: Two opposition leaders were abducted on 8 May after attending Mali’s first major pro-democracy protest since the 2020 coup, deepening concerns over repression.

Sources: Prime Minister's Office of Mali, International Crisis Group, British Broadcasting Corporation (1), British Broadcasting Corporation (2), Radio France Internationale, Barron's, Jeune Afrique, International IDEA, Human Rights Watch

On 3 May, hundreds of Malians demonstrated in Bamako in the country’s first large pro-democracy protest since the military seized power in 2020. Protesters, including political parties, civil society groups, and labor leaders, gathered to oppose the junta’s plans to extend military rule and install transitional leader Assimi Goïta as president without elections. Civil society groups were active in the organization of the protests. Security forces cordoned off parts of the protest site, and pro-government groups attempted to disrupt the gathering. 

Sources: Mali Jet, The Associated Press, Barron’s, Institute for Security Studies – Africa, Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group, International IDEA

On 12 May, around 10 Malian soldiers arrested at least 30 men during a market day in Diafarabé, central Mali. Though some were released on the spot, witnesses reported that at least 22 men—all Fulani—were bound, blindfolded, and taken across the river in canoes before being executed, reportedly by throat-slitting, and buried in mass graves. The killings, which locals say targeted Fulani men suspected of jihadist ties, have sparked calls for an independent investigation. The incident follows strong condemnation by UN experts in late April of a similar episode: on 12 April, roughly 100 men, most of them Fulani, were arrested by Malian forces and Wagner-affiliated personnel during a market day in Sebabougou. While some were released, around 60 were taken to the Kwala military camp, where they were allegedly tortured and interrogated about links to ‘terrorists.’ Shortly after, several dozen decomposing bodies were found scattered near the Kwala military camp by relatives searching for missing family members.

Sources: UN Human Rights Office, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Jurist News, The Africa Report

On 31 October, Mali’s National Transitional Council passed a law criminalizing same-sex relationships, marking a significant change in the country’s legal framework. While same-sex conduct was not previously illegal, vague provisions in the penal code, such as Article 225 penalizing ‘public indecency,’ were often used to target LGBTQIA+ individuals. Justice Minister Mamadou Kassogué declared that its provisions ‘prohibit homosexuality in Mali’ and that ‘anyone who indulges in this practice or promotes or condones it, will be prosecuted’. The penalties for breaching the law remain unclear. In order to be final, the bill will have to be signed by Mali’s military leaders.

Sources: News Central, Barron’s, Human Rights Watch, X

On 16 September, the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced the launch of a joint indigenous media platform following the suspension of French news outlets in the region. This initiative, a web-based television channel, is intended to provide state-controlled information and counter what the governments describe as biased foreign reporting. The media launch comes amid growing restrictions on press freedom in these countries, where military-led governments have expelled several international media organizations. The creation of this platform reflects a broader trend in the Sahel of increasing government control over information and an erosion of media independence.

Sources: France24, Anadolu Agency, International IDEA

On 17 September, the Al Qaeda-linked group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) launched a coordinated terrorist assault in Bamako, the capital of Mali, killing at least 50 people and wounding over 200. JNIM targeted two critical sites: the national gendarmerie academy in Faladié and Modibo Keïta International Airport. This marked the first major attack on the city since the military coup in 2020.

Sources: The Africa Report, International Crisis Group, BBC, Le Monde, The Guardian

On 10 July, Mali’s ruling military junta lifted a suspension on the activities of political parties and associations’ activities, which it had imposed three months earlier on 10 April. The junta had justified the suspension on public order grounds, but commentators suggested it was a punitive response to calls made by political parties and associations for a presidential election and a return to constitutional order. While the junta’s lifting of the suspension marks an important step towards restoring political pluralism in the country, rights groups remain concerned about broader patterns of repression, including the detention of 11 opposition politicians in June.

Sources: The Secretary-General of the Government of Mali, Reuters, Amnesty International, International IDEA, France24, Le Monde, ISS Africa