Mali: Imam Mahmoud Dicko, the rigorist who makes IBK tremble

For the second time in a month, Malians took to the streets en masse, Friday June 19, to demand the departure of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, nicknamed IBK. Tens of thousands of demonstrators in Bamako responded to the call of the "June 5 Movement - Rally of the Patriotic Forces" (M5-RFP), named after the first date of mobilization.

"The crisis is extremely serious," said analyst Ibrahim Maïga, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in Bamako, AFP. "We knew that the anger was great. Today, she has a face, she has a spokesperson", in the person of Imam Dicko.

At the head of the M5-RFP, a heterogeneous coalition bringing together politicians, anti-corruption activists, personalities from civil society and religious, we find Mahmoud Dicko, a rigorous imam. This former IBK ally is now one of the most fervent critics of the president, judged by the demonstrators responsible for the decline in economic growth and the persistence of insecurity, faced with attacks by jihadists, in particular.

"Everyone is opposed! Community problems, problems in the army, even between religious ... (problems) between everyone ... There is a malaise in the country, there is poor governance. There is open corruption. I say it and I say it again! ", He diagnoses in an interview with RFI.

President of the Malian Islamic High Council

At 66, Mahmoud Dicko, from a family of notables from Timbuktu, is a familiar figure of Malians. From January 2008 to April 2019, he chaired the High Islamic Council (HCI)., A position of influence in a 95% Muslim country. If the majority of the population is made up of Maliki Sunnis, Mahmoud Dicko embodies a rigorous current, inspired by Saudi Wahhabism.

This father of a dozen children, born to his two wives, made a name for himself by opposing in 2009 the adoption of a new family code supposed to modernize in particular marital, family and estate in Mali. He then forced the government to adopt a text much less ambitious than expected, particularly on the rights of women. More recently, he also had a textbook on sex education that addressed homosexuality censored.

Support for distrust of IBK

However, Mahmoud Dicko is not systematically in opposition. In 2013, he was one of the supporters of IBK during the 2013 presidential election. He even went on a few presidential trips, notably to the Gulf countries of which he is an expert, thanks to his training in Koranic schools in Saudi Arabia.

This scholar also imposes himself as a privileged intermediary with the jihadists. His knowledge of Islam and his religious rigor gave him some credit with them, while he enjoyed relative confidence from the Malian elites. In the Malian security crisis, he is the champion of a dialogue with the rebels. 

In April 2019, he obtained the dismissal of the Prime Minister, Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga, by organizing large demonstrations. This supporter of a hard line and considered responsible for the worsening of the security crisis in central Mali.

A shift of the religious in the political

The imam with the white goatee creates his movement, the Coordination of movements, associations and sympathizers (CMAS), in September 2019. Since then, Mahmoud Dicko has become a vigorous critic of power as much as he enjoys a broad base popular in Mali. With the launch of CMAS, many have lent him political intentions, which he defends himself from.

The charismatic preacher was able to unite the protest against IBK by channeling the exasperation fueled for months by the death of thousands of people killed in recent years in jihadist attacks and intercommunity violence, the feeling of the powerlessness of the State, the economic slump, the crisis in public services and schools and the perception of widespread corruption. However, according to the imam, the Cmas is not a party, but a movement which has religious, societal and political visions for "ideals".

"Many opponents who would not have had a chance to come to power have decided to rely on the imam and his thousands of followers, giving him great political power," analyzes researcher Aly Tounkara in Le Monde. .

President Keïta has extended his hand in recent days to his opponents, paving the way for a government of "national unity". He also made concessions to the striking teachers, promising the salary increases they have been demanding for months.

Demonstration on June 19 in #Bamako: Imam Mahmoud Dicko asked "the demonstrators to go home without making violence. However, he takes ECOWAS witness and leaves the ball in their camp" pic.twitter.com/ joRvreZ7zg

But it is not enough for Mahmoud Dicko: "He did not learn the lesson, he does not listen to people. But this time, he will understand", had warned before the demonstration on Friday while calling calm and nonviolence 

"I am not someone who breaks my country or who sets fire to my country", assured Radio France International Imam Dicko, who should announce the date of a new mobilization in the coming days.

The France 24 week summary invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

Take international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 app