**Former Mali Prime Minister Sentenced to Prison for Supporting Jailed Critics of Military Junta**
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A Mali court on Monday sentenced former Prime Minister Moussa Mara to two years in prison after he publicly expressed solidarity with jailed critics of the military junta. Mara was convicted on charges of undermining state authority and inciting public disorder.
According to his lawyer, Mountaga Tall, Mara must also pay a fine of 500,000 CFA francs (approximately $888). Tall added that they plan to appeal the conviction. A close associate, Abdoulaye Yaro, told The Associated Press that Mara will serve one year without parole, with the remaining year suspended.
In July, after visiting jailed critics of the junta, the former prime minister took to social media to declare, “As long as the night lasts, the sun will obviously appear! We will fight by all means for this to happen as soon as possible.”
Since the country’s most recent coup in 2021, Gen. Assimi Goita has been consolidating his grip on power. In June, Goita was granted an additional five years in power, despite earlier promises to return Mali to civilian rule by 2024. The military regime has also dissolved political parties, intensifying concerns among rights activists who say the crackdown targets critics and opposition leaders.
Mali, a landlocked nation in Africa’s semi-arid Sahel region on the southern fringe of the Sahara Desert, has experienced ongoing political instability that has spread across West and Central Africa over the last decade.
https://wtop.com/world/2025/10/a-former-mali-prime-minister-goes-to-prison-for-expressing-solidarity-with-critics-of-military-junta/
