Human rights groups say politicians have recently been forcibly disappearing
The Mali military government dissolved all political parties after accusations from rights groups that opposing figures were arrested.
Assimi Gaita, who took power in two Army coups in 2020 and 2021, verified the decision after it aired to Marian in a statement aired on Tuesday.
The parties disbanded after this month’s demonstration, demanding that the country return to democratic rule.
Protesters gathered on May 3rd and 4th to carry placards, reading “dictatorship, long-lived democracy,” reading slogans, in the responsibilities of the military government’s rare public who had promised to hold elections in 2022.
The national conference held in April extended Goita’s presidency until 2030, eliciting criticism from opposition figures and human rights groups.
In response to another protest planned on Friday, the military government issued an order halting all political activities across the country.
The move forced opposition groups to cancel the demonstration, and the government has now further strengthened its grip.
The clampdown coincides with reports of the disappearance of opposition. Human rights groups have said that several politicians have recently been forcibly disappearing.
On Thursday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Aba Alhassan, executive director of Convergence for the Development of Mali (CODEM), had been “arrested” by “masked gunmen.”
That same day, Elema Party leader El Bathil Thiam was reportedly seized by an unidentified man in the town of Kati outside the capital.
On Tuesday, a Codem member, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the party lost contact with youth leader Abdoul Karim Traore and feared he was accused of him too.
Mali authorities have not commented on the reported arrests.
Gaita was the first to take power in August 2020 as she escalated an attack from an armed group belonging to ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda regional affiliate Jamaat Nusrat Al Islamic Walmuslimin (JNIM).
In July 2020, protests against the former civilian government were severely suppressed, as at least 14 people were killed in crackdowns by security forces.
The military then ousted the elected government and said it was unable to tackle the armed groups.
Last December, HRW reported that Mali soldiers alongside Russian Wagner group fighters “deliberately killed” at least 32 civilians, and burned more than 100 homes in central and northern Mali.
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