Several Mali political organizations have come together to protest the military government’s decision to hold a referendum on a new constitution on June 18. The referendum is a significant step in the country’s journey toward elections scheduled for February next year, following a military coup three years ago. The referendum was initially set for March 19, but it was rescheduled.
The alliance is requesting that, the decree that constitute the electoral committees be revoked, since it believes the ruling powers to be illegal. The group also claims that “more than two-thirds of the territory, are being plunged into generalized insecurity.”
Mali has been engulfed in an 11-year security crisis, sparked by a regional revolt in the north that grew into a full-fledged rebellion. Frustration that French forces, who had been in the nation since 2013, had been unable to flush out the insurgents, fueled anti-French sentiment.
This, combined with military administration in the country, resulted in failed relations with France, the country’s primary ally and previous colonizer, as well as tighter connections with Russia.
A constitution change has long been on the discussion table of every Malian citizen. A referendum was even scheduled to take place in 2017, but it failed to materialize. An Army of Colonels, which made up the interim government in 2021, announced referendum would have taken place in October that year. The interim government was swept aside within weeks, through a palace coup and Colonel Assimi Goita was named the transitional President.
Analysts anticipate that, the referendum would face numerous problems, ranging from attacks on voting booths to logistical issues such as voter registration. Some Muslim religious figures, rebel organizations in the north, and a portion of civil society have also opposed to the referendum, citing the draft’s inclusion of a secular state.
A Government Spokeswoman has disclosed that, Goita has issued “very firm instructions” for the referendum to have all of the required logistical, financial, and security backing. The referendum campaign will begin on June 2 and end on June 16. Voters must answer “yes” or “no” to the question: Do you approve of the draft constitution?
The Malian Military administration has received widespread of criticisms from its West Africa neighbors, that constitute the ECOWAS and also Africa as a whole. Since the overthrow of the Late Ibrahim Boubakar Keita, the African Union suspended Mali from participation in all African Union activities, its Organs, and institutions, until normal constitutional order has been restored.
Mali is a country threatened by insurgencies and terrorism, it has placed its neighboring countries on red alert to strengthen their security. The President of Ghana, last December, urged the United States to up its support to West Africa, in the fight against insurgencies and terrorism, stretching his conversation on Mali and the involvement of Russian mercenaries, the Wagner group . He acknowledged that, the recent spike of insurgencies and terrorism in West African, undermines the peace and stability in the region.
This meeting, sought of, brought a diplomatic uproar between the two West African nation, causing Mali to withdraw his Ambassador from Ghana and summoning the Ghana Ambassador to Mali for questioning.
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