Mali junta leaders fires prime minister days after he criticizes the military regime

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali’s junta leader fired Prime Minister Choguel Maïga and the government on Wednesday, days after Maïga criticized the military regime.

The move was announced in a presidential decree issued by Col. Assimi Goita, Mali’s leader. It was read by the secretary general of the presidency on state television channel ORTM.

Mali has been ruled by military leaders since a junta seized power in 2020 and staged another coup the following year.

In June 2022, the junta promised a return to civilian rule by March 2024, but later postponed elections. No date has been set yet for the presidential election.

Maïga, who was appointed by the military two years, accused the junta of postponing the elections without informing him and said confusion around an end to the transition could pose “serious challenges and the risk of going backwards,” at a rally of his supporters on Saturday. In response to Maiga’s statement, the junta organized demonstrations against him.

A new prime minister has not been announced yet.