The new transitional prime minister in Mali, Choguel Kokalla Maiga, assembled his government for the first time on Sunday in a meeting where he set out the priorities for the West African nation, i.e. “the improvement of security, political and institutional reforms,” plus the organization of highly anticipated credible elections to return civilians to power in February 2022.

He takes office at a time when the country has been caught up in jihadist turmoil and violence of all kinds for years. The security crisis goes hand in hand with serious political and social crises.

He says, “We will consider the creation of a single independent electoral management body, universally requested by the political class and civil society.

“Legal proceedings following the killings and abuses against the victims of the events of July 2020 will also be initiated.”

He added that he wanted to carry out an “intelligent rereading” of the peace agreement signed in 2015 by an alliance of former Tuareg independence and Arab nationalist armed groups that had fought against Malian forces in the north from 2012, by the Malian government and by a coalition of armed groups loyal to the government.

“The “fundamental principles” of this politically important agreement will be respected,” he said in an apparent pledge to the signatories, but also to Mali’s foreign partners.

The minister also recognized just how critical it will be undertaking moves on a military-dominated interim government over the next 8 months in order to salvage Mali’s democracy after two coup d’états in nine months;  both spearheaded by Colonel Assimi Goitia.

The military strongman who appointed the prime minister to his position and himself now the interim president of Mali.

“We are in a race against time. Malians are watching us and are counting on the success of this transition which, for many of them, seems to be the last chance to save the nation,” Goita said at the opening of the council of ministers.

And this, amid the country’s ongoing challenges of jihadist insurgency plus social and health issues. The council of ministers was the first significant meeting of the prime minister since President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement on Thursday that Barkhane, the French operation in the Sahel, would be ended in favour of an international alliance.

The prime minister and the transitional president have not yet spoken publicly about this decision. After the colonels’ putsch of August 2020, Mali has just been on the scene of a new military coup on May 24, with the arrest of the president and prime minister of the transition period opened after the first coup, on the orders of Colonel Goïta.

They were forced to resign. Colonel Goïta, until then vice-president, was invested president, and entrusted to Maïga, a veteran politician, the task of forming a new government. The government announced on Friday retains the military’s control over strategic ministries.

Suzan O/AFN

In a statement, he said “There’s no major expectation, the key thing is that we want to have a conversation with the head of the government (Colonel Goita) who was then (when the summit in Accra took place in May) the deputy, and with the new prime minister.

“The military officials agreed that the prime minister would be a civilian. So, it is not new. So I don’t think there will be a conflict between the prime minister and the head of government.”

Sworn in on Monday as president of the transitional government, Colonel Assimi Goita has further strengthened his hold on power in the West African country after spearheading his second coup d’état in nine months.

To pressure Goita to step down and quell the perceived political crisis, the African Union has since suspended Mali’s membership and France has temporarily suspended its joint military operations with the Malian armed forces.

Suzan O/AFN