A Malian court on Tuesday dismissed a request for the release of 11 individuals detained in June for allegedly plotting against the military junta.
Among the detainees are former government officials and political figures who signed a declaration in March advocating for a return to civilian rule.
The arrests occurred during a private meeting in the capital, Bamako, at a time when the junta had imposed a ban on political party activities.
This ban, implemented in April, was part of the junta’s increasing crackdown on dissent since seizing power in multiple coups in 2020 and 2021.
The junta lifted the ban in July, but the court’s decision to deny the release of the detainees indicates the ongoing suppression of opposition voices.
The March declaration condemned the “legal and institutional vacuum” resulting from the junta’s failure to relinquish power as promised and called for an immediate presidential election.
Mali, grappling with a complex political, security, and economic crisis, has been plagued by jihadist violence since 2012.
The junta’s initial pledge to transfer power to civilians by March 2024 has been abandoned, with a new, unspecified timeline for elections.