The upcoming national phase of the Inter-Malian Dialogue, slated to conclude on May 10th, 2024, in Bamako, has raised questions about its true objectives. Presented by Malian authorities as a domestic alternative to the 2015 peace agreement, which involved Northern rebel groups, the organization of this dialogue, excluding Malian rebel or jihadist groups, appears to reveal a different agenda: extending the transition period.
In a report aired on Mali’s state television ORTM, a journalist outlines the recommendations from the dialogue in the Bandiagara region, prominently featuring the extension of the transition period. Reports from Bamako to Kidal, Gao, and Taoudeni, suggest extensions ranging from one to ten years, alongside calls for elections only under certain conditions.
Are these requests spontaneous or are there directives at play? Several sources involved in the dialogue’s organization claim instructions for a referendum on extending the transition period were given, despite its official end on March 26, 2024. Colonel Assimi Goïta, the transitional president, announced the Inter-Malian Dialogue on December 31, 2023, aimed at national peace and reconciliation, emphasizing the “national ownership of the peace process.”
Ending on May 10, 2024, the final national phase of this dialogue will leave it to the Steering Committee, appointed by authorities, to synthesize and implement the proposals, either excluding or maintaining those beyond the dialogue’s official scope.
For many, including former Prime Minister Moussa Mara, this dialogue must not serve as an excuse for further transition extensions: “If this were the venue to discuss it, the president should state it in his speech, and then it should be included in the general or specific objectives. But it’s nowhere to be found. The dialogue should focus on its objective. Any other topic would only breed division, which Mali does not need.”
As the dialogue approaches its conclusion, the nation waits to see whether its outcomes align with the intended objectives or veer into uncharted territory, potentially impacting Mali’s path toward stability and peace.