2025 Malian protests
{{Infobox civil conflict
| title = 2025 Malian protests
| partof = the Mali War
| date = May 3, 2025 – present
| coordinates = 12°37'30.4"N 7°59'27.0"W
| causes = *Proposed total dissolution of Mali's political parties
- Proposed extension of the presidential term to 2030
- Suspension of all political activities in Mali (May 7)
- Dissolution of all political parties and organizations in Mali (May 13)
| goals = *Democratic reform
- Regime change
| methods = *Protests
| side1 = *Loosely affiliated protesters and dissidents of the government
- Opposition coalition
- Civil society groups
| side2 = {{flagicon|Mali}} Government of Mali
- National Committee for the Salvation of the People
- Pro-Goïta youth demonstrators
| leadfigures1 = '''(no central leadership)
| leadfigures2 = Assimi Goïta
}}
On May 3, 2025, hundreds of people gathered on the streets of Bamako, Mali to call for an end to the administration of Assimi Goïta and support democratic reform. It was the first broad-scale public display of support for democracy and act of civil resistance towards the military regime since its inception in 2020.{{Cite web |date=2025-05-08 |title=First Pro-Democracy Protests in Mali in Four Years of Military Rule |url=https://globalpost.com/stories/first-pro-democracy-protests-in-mali-in-four-years-of-military-rule/ |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=GlobalPost |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Ahmed |first=Baba |date=2025-05-05 |title=Hundreds of activists stage Mali's first pro-democracy rally in years since coups |url=https://apnews.com/article/mali-politics-democracy-demonstration-military-government-270461e6dd91784cb31bfb9f1172c0a4 |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=AP News |language=en}} The protests arise from numerous abuses committed by the president's administration and its allies, including the jailing of resistance figures and dissolution of the political opposition and establishment, as well as efforts to hold on to power past the end of Goïta's mandate in 2025.{{Cite web |date=2025-05-07 |title=Protests grow in Mali as opposition leader faces trial over junta criticism |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20250507-protests-grow-in-mali-as-opposition-leader-faces-trial-over-junta-criticism |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=RFI |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Mali dissolves all political parties after opposition figures ‘arrested’ |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/13/mali-dissolves-all-political-parties-after-opposition-figures-arrested |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2025-05-14 |title=Mali dissolves all political parties as opposition figures disappear |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20250514-mali-dissolves-all-political-parties-as-opposition-figures-disappear |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=RFI |language=en}} The moves have been condemned by Amnesty International and the International Federation for Human Rights, which claim they represent a repeated, consistent pattern of repression since the beginning of the transition period.
Background
{{Main articles|2023 Malian constitutional referendum|2020 Malian parliamentary election|2020 Malian protests|2020 Malian coup d'état|2021 Malian coup d'état}}
Protests and government response
= Preceding Events =
The protests came a week after the government issued a decree in the Council of Ministers seeking to repeal the law governing the charter of political parties; they also followed the recent arrest of prominent opposition figure Mamadou Traoré, who had accused top-ranking members in the regime of corruption.{{Cite web |date=2025-05-07 |title=Mali's military junta suspends political parties' activities 'until further notice' |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250507-%F0%9F%94%B4-mali-s-military-government-suspends-political-parties-activities |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=France 24 |language=en}} On April 30, prominent officials in government proposed an extended five-year mandate for the president and the dissolution of all political parties.{{Cite web |last=Ahmed |first=Baba |date=2025-04-30 |title=Mali national dialogue recommends naming junta leader president and dissolving political parties |url=https://apnews.com/article/mali-goita-national-dialogue-fe3bc71722f9cef7a865ce4fa72bf1c7 |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=AP News |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Crowe |first=Portia |date=2025-05-09 |title=Mali's efforts to stem political protests to face test |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/malis-efforts-stem-political-protests-face-test-2025-05-09/ |access-date=2025-05-10 |work=Reuters}}
= May 3 Onwards =
Protesters gathered outside of the Palais de la culture on the southern bank of the Niger River carrying signs and chanting slogans in support of the defense of democracy and downfall of the dictatorship. They were eventually dispersed by police, narrowly avoiding a clash with pro-regime youth demonstrators who had, hours earlier, overtaken the venue in an effort to prevent the protest from taking place.{{Cite web |last=Lawal |first=Shola |date=8 May 2025 |title='A step too far': Malians protest military gov't moves to hold on to power |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/8/malian-juntas-move-to-hold-on-to-power-sparks-rare-revolt |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}} Since that time, human rights groups maintain that several prominent opposition figures beyond Traoré have been kidnapped or disappeared by pro-government forces, including Abba Alhassane, secretary-general of Convergence for the Development of Mali (CODEM), El Bachir Thiam, leader of the Yelema Party, and Abdoul Karim Traoré, a prominent youth activist.{{Cite web |title=Mali's military government dissolves all political parties – DW – 05/14/2025 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/malis-military-government-dissolves-all-political-parties/a-72533880 |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Deutsche Welle |language=en}}
On May 5, civil society groups held a press conference during which they called for “a rapid and credible return to constitutional order through the organization of transparent, inclusive and peaceful elections." They have since called for the release of all political prisoners, including prominent figures in government. On May 7, the government suspended "all associations of a political character" "until further notice for reasons of public order" in anticipation of mass protests scheduled for May 9 in the cities of Bamako and Ségou. Opposition and civil society groups chose to postpone the protests as a means of avoiding direct confrontation with government forces, who were ostensibly under orders to restrict any political activity. On May 8, Alhassane and Thiam were arrested by soldiers in separate incidents in Bamako and Kati.{{Cite web |last=Ahmed |first=Baba |date=10 May 2025 |title=2 activists who criticized Mali military rulers were seized and taken away, relatives say |url=https://apnews.com/article/mali-military-activists-arrested-0f24b80fe708b63b6f051f1f2c4ea0da |access-date=10 May 2025 |website=AP News}}
On May 13, the government officially dissolved all political parties and organizations within the country, with plans to reduce the number of parties overall and limit their public funding mechanisms.{{cite news |last1=Njie |first1=Paul |date=14 May 2025 |title=Mali junta dissolves all political parties in latest opposition crackdown |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqj7z92xw9no |access-date=14 May 2025 |work=BBC}} The same day, Karim Traoré was reported by to have disappeared by friends and colleagues. On May 14, the Malian High Authority for Communication issued a broadcasting ban on the French TV channel TV5 Monde for its coverage of the protests.{{Cite web |date=14 May 2025 |title=Malian authorities ban French TV channel over its coverage of a pro-democracy protest |url=https://apnews.com/article/mali-media-tv5-monde-banned-40dc935dbe1bae4fa2dc7a3ab15e689e|access-date=14 May 2025 |website=AP News}}
Implications
The protests may signal a wider shift in public attitudes towards the Goïta regime. Prominent activists and resistance figures have claimed this marks a return by Mali to the era of dictatorship under Moussa Traoré. Organizational watchdogs have noted that many Malians remain committed to civil resistance in the event that the regime attempted to seize power indefinitely. Other observers have noted that the patterns of public resistance noted in and precedent set by the brutality of the July 2020 protests indicates the potential for broader violence, though this will depend on the scale of the protest movement's reach. The current administration has also shown a willingness to violate the civil liberties and, often, human rights of civilians, as evidenced by deliberate mass-killings carried out by Wagner Mercenaries and Malian forces loyal to Goïta in 2024.
A historical pattern of violence against civilian populations outside of major population centers, particularly the Fulani and Dogon peoples, indicates the potential for broader violence against opponents of the regime. Regardless, the tightening of political and administrative restrictions in the country is said by experts to be felt most acutely by groups far from the country's political center.