Dissolution of Coordination of Movements, Associations and Sympathizers of Imam Mahmoud Dicko

Meeting in the Council of Ministers on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, the members of the transitional government of Mali ratified the dissolution of the Association called "Coordination of Movements, Associations and Sympathizers of Imam Mahmoud Dicko". A structure created in 2019, representing the political arm of Imam Mahmoud Dicko.

This Wednesday, another stage of the standoff between the Imam and the transitional authorities has just been crossed. Indeed, the transitional government has decided to dissolve the political arm of Imam Mahmoud Dicko, namely the "Coordination of Movements, Associations and Sympathizers of Imam Mahmoud DICKO" (CMAS). The authorities accuse the Association of being "a political body of destabilization and a threat to public security". The transitional government justifies the measure by the concern to preserve "public order" and prevent "any form of disorder or violence that could result from the activities of the CMAS". The Malian authorities threaten to take "all necessary measures to guarantee the security and stability of the country". Furthermore, the government also accuses the sponsor of this association, in this case Imam Mahmoud Dicko, of engaging in "subversive activities likely to disturb public order, particularly through his recent visits abroad and his official meetings with figures from foreign powers on issues of national interest without the authorization of the Malian authorities." For the Transitional authorities, "this circumstance constitutes a breach of the statutory provisions of the CMAS and an attack on the higher interests of the country."

This decision comes a few days after Imam Dicko announced his imminent return to Mali. Since last December, he had been in Algeria where he had even been received by President Abdel Madjid Tebboune. A gesture that had not been appreciated by the authorities in Bamako, who described him as a "character hostile to subversive acts."

This decision was somewhat expected by a certain opinion in Mali and even beyond. Some had even suggested that the Imam could be arrested once he returned to Mali. In addition, this association is one of the founding members of the new opposition platform called "Synergy of Actions for Mali" which intends to organize demonstrations to demand the establishment of "a civil transition" after the expiration of the deadline set by the authorities to transfer power to civilians since February 25. Another founding member of this platform, namely the association "Kaoural Renouveau" suffered the same fate.