A former Mali prime minister goes to prison for expressing solidarity with critics of military junta

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BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A Mali court on Monday sentenced to prison a former prime minister who publicly expressed solidarity with jailed critics of the military junta.

Moussa Mara faces two years in prison after being convicted on charges of undermining state authority and inciting public disorder. His sentence is the latest in a crackdown by Mali’s military rulers that rights activists say targets critics and opposition leaders.

Mara also must pay a fine of 500,000 CFA francs ($888), said his lawyer, Mountaga Tall, who added that they will appeal.

Mara will serve one year without parole and another year suspended, a close associate, Abdoulaye Yaro, told The Associated Press.

“As long as the night lasts, the sun will obviously appear! We will fight by all means for this to happen as soon as possible,” the former prime minister said on social media in July after visiting jailed critics of the junta.

Since the country's most recent coup in 2021, Gen. Assimi Goita has sought to consolidate his grip on power. In June, Goita was granted an additional five years in power despite earlier promises of a return to civilian rule by 2024.

The military regime has also dissolved political parties.

Mali, a landlocked nation in Africa’s semiarid Sahel region on the southern fringe of the Sahara desert, has been embroiled in the political instability that has swept across West and Central Africa over the last decade.