Gambiaj.com – (BAMAKO, Mali) – Mali’s junta chief on Wednesday sacked civilian Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga and the government, days after Maiga issued a rare criticism of the military rulers.

“The duties of the prime minister and the members of the government are terminated,” said a decree issued by Colonel Assimi Goita and read out by the secretary general of the presidency on state television station ORTM.

Appointed by the military in 2021 following Mali’s second coup in a year, Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maïga publicly criticized the junta on November 16 during events marking the November 2023 recapture of Kidal.

Dressed in military attire despite being a civilian, Maïga voiced frustration over his exclusion from key decisions, particularly regarding the timeline for the nation’s political transition.

Demonstrators in the capital and many cities in the country called for Maiga’s resignation.

A section of the Malian military known as the Collective of Military Defense (CDM) is accusing Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maïga of “treason” and “denunciation” following his criticism of the ruling generals.

In June 2022, the junta promised to organize elections and hand over power to civilians by the end of March 2024, but later postponed elections indefinitely.

On Saturday, Choguel Maiga doubled down on his criticism, publicly condemning the lack of clarity regarding the end of the transition to civilian rule. He said the confusion could pose “serious challenges and the risk of going backwards.”

Maiga had been seen as isolated in his position as prime minister, with little room for maneuver regarding the ruling military.

His dismissal creates further uncertainty in an already troubled context.

Since 2012, Mali has been plunged into a political and security crisis fueled by attacks from jihadists and other armed groups, as well as a separatist struggle in the north.