"...first they demanded the lifting of ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States] sanctions, in addition, people are calling for cooperation between Mali and Russia", the head of the Young Leaders' Organisation, Sheikh Umar Sumano, said.
According to Sumano, the demonstration in Bamako attracted thousands of people, while a total of 3-4 million participated in rallies across Mali, as well as in other countries, held on Friday. The Malian diaspora continues demonstrations in the US and France, Sumano said, adding that many consider France to be the source of Mali's problems and hope that Russia could help Mali come out of its current crisis.
Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop announced in November 2021 that presidential and parliamentary elections initially scheduled for early 2022 in Mali would be postponed until 2025 due to the volatile security situation across the country. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) reacted by threatening the Malian military authorities with sanctions, imposing them on 9 January.
The Malian authorities called the sanctions illegal and illegitimate. The country's leadership also stressed that they were not based on any guidelines of the community. Mali decided to recall its ambassadors to the ECOWAS member states and to close land and air borders with the member countries of the organisation.
Mali has experienced two military coups in the past two years.
In August 2020, a group of Malian soldiers started a mutiny at the Kati military base near Bamako. Insurgents kidnapped several ministers and high-ranking military officials, including then-President Ibrahim Boubakar Keita, who later dissolved the government and parliament.
In September 2020, the parties agreed on a transition period that would last for 18 months, leading to parliamentary elections. Bah N'Daw, a former defence minister, was appointed as interim president. However, in late May 2021, Mali saw its second coup, as then-Vice President Assimi Goita ousted the new president and prime minister for allegedly violating the transitional charter. He was then appointed as interim president by the constitutional court.