Mali junta prepares for national 'dialogue' boycotted by the opposition

DAKAR, Senegal

The national phase of a months-long "inter-Malian dialogue" is set to begin in six days' time, with the country's military junta banking on the conclusions to bolster its increasingly contested legitimacy.

Weakened by security and economic crises and criticised for their failure to transfer power back to civilians, Mali's authorities have cracked down on mounting dissent, while still managing to retain support from a section of the population.

The West African nation has been ruled by juntas since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, with the military promising to hand back power through the ballot box in February under pressure from regional bloc ECOWAS.

But the colonels sparked domestic and international criticism after failing to uphold this commitment and postponing the election until an unspecified date -- citing a precarious security situation aggravated by jihadist groups which has not yet been stabilized.

After muzzling opponents, journalists and human rights activists, the military authorities suspended the activities of political parties in April and dissolved several civil society organisations calling for elections to be held.

But in the eyes of some Malians, the increasingly critical political class "suffers from a credibility deficit due to corruption and broken promises" under previous regimes, said Mahamadou Konate, a university professor in the capital Bamako.

He added that this view had been amplified by communications from the military government.

The junta is also counting on the inter-Malian dialogue, launched in December, to strengthen its peace efforts after ending a major 2015 deal with armed separatist groups in the north.

The talks' first recommendations, seen by AFP, unsurprisingly call for the extension of the so-called "transition" period and, in some regions, for junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita to stand as a candidate in the presidential election.