Mali: new show of force of opponents of President IBK

Text by: Coralie Pierret

In Mali, this is the 2nd demonstration organized by the coalition of opponents. The M5, which brings together civil society, opposition political and religious parties, called on Malians to take to the streets on Friday. On the menu, a single watchword: demand the resignation of President IBK in power since 2013. This event promised to be more tense than the previous one.

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From our correspondent in Bamako,

Tension has escalated in recent days in the capital. This Friday, like June 5, tens of thousands of demonstrators answered the call of M5, this movement which brings together religious politics and civil society. On the independence square, in the gallery, songs were chained today, including the national anthem and prayers. Around the independence monument, we heard the Bamakois chanting "IBK clears", the main slogan in the street since early June.

So today, even if everyone insists on the peaceful nature of their action, this time, the protest movement sent emissaries to Koulouba to fetch the letter of resignation from the president. But they were unable to forward this letter, blocked by the police. In the final statement of the M5 this Friday, Cheick Oumar Sissoko, one of the leaders warned: if the demands are not heard, "  the people will exercise their right to civil disobedience  ". “  We will be non-violent. But we will fight to the satisfaction of our request,  "concluded the influential imam Mahmoud Dicko, one of the leaders if not the leader of the M5.

The pressure maintained

The M5 therefore maintains the pressure with this mobilization of the street and renews its main demand: the resignation of the Head of State. This is the main claim and this claim ultimately follows all the others, according to the protesters. Some speak of the dissolution of the new National Assembly, disputed since the legislative elections at the end of March at the beginning of April or of the dissolution of the Constitutional Court, responsible according to the demonstrators for electoral fraud. But for now, everyone is concentrating and demanding the resignation of the head of state because "  it has been 7 years since IBK was elected and everything is going from bad to worse,  " said a protester on Friday.

On the majority side, we remain stoic. At the end of the week, the president of the National Assembly, Moussa Timbiné, nevertheless warned against a destabilization of the institutions. “  Little by little, Mali will be completely occupied by jihadists. Many of those who walk are with the jihadists,  "he said in plenary on Thursday.

Multiplication of calls for dialogue

The presidential majority which was also received by personalities or institutions which tried mediations to appease and resolve the political and social crisis.

Because throughout this week, calls for dialogue have multiplied, without success. It was first the head of state who called for dialogue last Sunday in an address to the nation. Then on Tuesday at the convention center. IBK added a proposal: that of forming a government of national unity. A proposal immediately rejected by the M5 who did not move elsewhere to hear the proposals of the Head of State.

Then Thursday, the ECOWAS tried to mediate. Three foreign ministers, the Nigerien, the Nigerian and the Ivorian, as well as the chairman of the committee met with all the actors of the crisis. The African organization, however, did not obtain the postponement of today's rally.

Finally, the calls for dialogue launched since last week by IBK did not receive a favorable response. "  There have already been dialogues in the past but today, there is a crisis of confidence  ", reminded Thursday at the end of the meeting with the ECOWAS former minister Choguel Maiga, one of the political leaders of the M5.

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• Mali
• Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta

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