Mali must no longer be held hostage by an illegitimate junta: the time has come for the international community to act firmly.
The Front Patriotique de Résistance to the Military Regime in Mali expresses its deepest concern over the dramatic deterioration of the political, economic, and security situation in our country. Since the military junta seized power, Mali has been governed without any constitutional mandate, outside all legal frameworks, and in total disregard of the Malian people’s aspirations for democracy, peace, and development.
By maintaining their grip on state power through force, the Malian junta has plunged our nation into an unprecedented crisis:
- The country faces a dire security collapse, with vast regions now under the control of terrorist groups, leaving our abandoned populations to live in fear and terror.
- Mali’s self-imposed diplomatic and economic isolation worsens poverty, stifles the national economy, and deprives our youth of future prospects.
- Promises of a short transition were mere pretenses: no credible timeline for free and transparent elections has been set or respected.
In light of this situation, we solemnly call on the international community to sever all diplomatic ties with this illegal regime that usurps the Malian people’s power and violates the fundamental principles of democratic governance.
However, we urge continued cooperation in support of the Malian people. Efforts to reduce poverty — for a people who have suffered greatly during this transition — must continue exclusively through NGOs until constitutional order is restored. Partnerships with the private sector must also be maintained, as it remains the only true engine of wealth creation in our country.
We call upon regional, African, and international partners:
- To suspend all political, military, and economic cooperation with the Malian junta.
- To demand the immediate holding of free, transparent, and inclusive elections under international supervision in order to restore institutional legitimacy.
Mali needs a state governed by law — not by force. It needs a future built by the voices of its citizens, not imposed through fear and repression.
We call upon our brotherly and friendly peoples in Africa and across the world, the United Nations, the African Union, ECOWAS, the European Union, and all of Mali’s partners to stand with the Malian people so that the light of democracy may prevail over the darkness of dictatorship.
None of the current commitments made by the junta have any constitutional basis. The day the Malian people regain full sovereignty and restore republican order, they will be fully entitled to reconsider any agreements made in violation of institutional legality. The future legitimate leaders of Mali will remember who truly stood with the Malian people.
The overwhelming majority of Malians yearn for the return of the rule of law and democracy. It is time for the international community and our multilateral and bilateral partners to hear this call and act responsibly.
From now on, any international agreement signed by Mali must be subject to prior legal review by the United Nations and the African Union regarding the legitimacy of the Malian signatories.
For our part, at the Front Patriotique de Résistance, along with all other resistance members who have joined us, we no longer recognize this illegal regime or any decree signed by the Malian junta.
As I have stated in previous interventions, after the 2023 constitutional referendum — which cost the Malian Treasury billions — far too much public money has been wasted by the junta through so-called “national consultations” only to trample on and shamelessly violate our Constitution.
Mali cannot wait any longer. Too many lives have already been lost.
For the Nation: No to dictatorship.
For the Nation: Freedom, peace, and development.
God bless Mali.
Aliou DIALLO
President of the Front Patriotique de Résistance of Mali