Malian Prime Minister Choguel Maiga has been dismissed by the military leader of the country, President Assimi Goita, through a decree issued on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. This announcement was made public on national television by the secretary-general of the presidency, Alfouseyni Diawara.
Choguel Kokalla Maïga, who was appointed by the military following Mali’s second coup within a year in 2021, expressed his discontent with the junta on November 16 during commemorative events for the recapture of Kidal in November 2023. Despite being a civilian, Maïga appeared in military attire and articulated his concerns regarding his exclusion from significant decision-making processes, particularly those related to the timeline for the country’s political transition.
Africa24hrsnews gathered that a faction within the Malian military, known as the Collective of Military Defenses (CDM), has accused Prime Minister Maïga of “treason” and “denunciation” in light of his criticisms directed at the ruling generals. Concurrently, protests have erupted in the capital and various cities across the nation, with demonstrators demanding Maïga’s resignation.
In a related development, Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga, who serves as the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, has been appointed as the interim Prime Minister. In addition to his responsibilities in decentralization, the approximately 40-year-old Maïga has also acted as the government spokesman. Prior to his appointment in late 2021, he was relatively unknown, but he has since made significant appearances on national television, delivering some of the government’s most notable announcements and strong statements against France.
In late July, he publicly urged President Emmanuel Macron to “definitively abandon his neo-colonial, paternalistic, and condescending posture.” Although Colonel Maïga was not part of the group of officers who seized power alongside Colonel Goïta in August 2020, he is regarded as a close associate of the Malian leader and has emerged as a prominent spokesperson for the government.
