** Choguel Maïga: The echo of a fallen alliance and the lessons of a tumultuous transition in Mali **
On February 22, 2025, in the sober framework but filled with symbolism of the Bamako press house, Choguel Maïga, the former Malian Prime Minister dismissed in November 2024, spoke before an audience of journalists. His first public intervention since his eviction was sulphurous, illustrating the palpable tensions which undermine the current political transition of the country. By revealing her critical vision of the junta in power, Maïga chose to set herself up in figurehead of the opposition, emphasizing an undeniable break with political forces which, formerly, struggled side by side to destroy the old regime.
### Rupture, a harmful spiral
At the heart of his concerns, Maïga highlighted the rupture between the military junta, who orchestrated her takeover, and the political components that had chosen collaboration for a democratic change. It argues that this divorce is not just a simple failure of the coalition, but the symptom of a larger crisis affecting the whole of Malian society. This is a phenomenon that can be observed in several countries that have experienced similar transitions, as in Egypt or Tunisia, where popular movements have gradually encountered military regimes that have failed to respect the commitments made towards citizens.
### Failed political membership
Choguel Maïga evokes the decisions taken without his agreement, under the influence of a limited circle of allies of the junta, and recalls significant events of her mandate where her voice, however legitimate, was despised. This lack of solidarity within the coalition, which led to the fall of the IBK regime (Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta), illustrates not only the scattering of political forces, but also a lack of collective strategy in a crucial period. A study conducted by the Mali Public Policy Analysis Center has shown that 70% of Malians experience growing mistrust of military institutions, thus stressing a fracture that could well result in disastrous consequences if it is not rectified .
### The enigma of human rights and human rights
Maïga also denounced extrajudicial arrests, a burning theme, exacerbated by emergency legislation which seems to have weakened the rule of law. These liberticide measures, often justified in the name of security, directly affect democracy in gestation. By drawing inspiration from the case of Guinea, where the establishment of a military regime has led to similar repression, Mali is likely to get bogged down in a cycle of violence and despair. According to Human Rights Watch, Mali recorded a 40% increase in human rights violations in 2024, worrying at the time when the hope of a perennial democracy continues to stretch.
### A call for rigor: a populist or necessary wish?
“More rigor and transparency in governance,” argued Maïga, an appeal that resonates like a heart cry in the face of a political class often pinned for its inability to assume its responsibilities. In a country where almost 60% of the population lives below the poverty line, the demand of the former Prime Minister takes on a tangible dimension: it is not only a question of authority, but of survival social of the Malian people. Paradoxically, these requirements also recall the unfulfilled promises of the military authorities who, in turn, took the lead from a movement long awaited by the citizens.
### Conclusion: for a constructive transition
Choguel Maïga was able to embody disappointments, but also the hopes of a people who aspire to transparent and just governance. The parallel with other countries in transition underlines the universality of these struggles and the imperative to build solid institutions which include the various voices of the political landscape. If the Malian junta does not become aware of the need for real pluralism, she risks seeing fragments of society move away from all hope, thus sealing the fate of a nation on the razor’s thread. The road to follow requires enlightened governance, of course, but also the courage to get out of pre -existing dogmas for a real social revolution.
In short, the voice of Choguel Maïga should not only be perceived as the echo of a fallen opposition, but as the alarm signal of a Malian society which claims its place in a political future governed by inclusiveness and responsibility.