Thread by @chk2310

18/08/2022: Today marks the 24months of Transition in #Mali. Happened in the last two years? Maybe a good moment to look back. A short🧵1/

18/08/2020: the Conseil Nationale pour le Salut de Peuple #CNSP forces president #IBK to step down as president. The months before saw thousands of Malians demonstrating against the regime IBK on the streets of #Bamako 2/

In the weeks after the #coup the military junta around Assimi #Goita received good will from international partners, while being celebrated by the Malian population. The junta reassured that they only aimed for the removal of IBK and would honour all international arrangements 3/

September 2020: the original transitional #charta is being ratified in #Bamako. With it the institutions of the transitional, notably the government and the Conseil Nationale de la Transition #CNT, are formed 4/

September 2020: #Mali and #ECOWAS agree on 18month transition period. Shortly after Bah N’Daw is appointed president, Moctar Ouane prime minister. Colonel Assimi Goita takes over the newly created position as vice-president 5/

From the start the #transitional government presented ambitious goals, but it clearly become clear that neither timeframe nor budget would be sufficient for it. The results of the first few months were therefore rather lacking 6/

April 2021: Fuled by ongoing general strikes from Malis biggest trade union federation #UNTM and a lack of progress in the transition, PM #Ouane is forced to dissolve his government. A month later Ouane presents a new government, with some prominent military personal missing 7/

24-25/05/2021: Seeing it as a move to push them out of government the original putschist #junta decide to “rectify” the transitional process in a second coup. N’Daw/Ouane are being arrested in Kati, VP #Goita becomes new transitional president. 8/

Halfway through the original transition, this marks a turning point. The new appointed Premier #Maiga is member of the #M5RFP movement and aims for a more populist approach. His foreign minister Abdoulaye Diop is soon to become a household name on the international floor 9/

June 2021: During these turbulent times in Mali, the #UNSC renews the mandate for #MINUSMA. Included in the mandate this time is explicit the support of the transitional process in #Mali. 10/

Summer 2021: The new transitional government makes new friends. Reports about an increased Russian presence in #Mali. Malis Allies express concerns about the developments while Malian side refers to its sovereignty to work with whomever they please 11/
jeuneafrique.com/1230840/politi…

As the year continues it becomes clearer and clearer that the 18month #transition deadline is hard to achieve. International partners headed by #ECOWAS try to increase the pressure on the transitional regime and implement targeted sanctions on members of the government 12/

October 2021: The implemented sanctions and mediation efforts by #ECOWAS do not seem fruitful. As tensions rise the representative of ECOWAS to Mali Hamidou Boly is declared persona-non-grata and expelled from the country 13/
reuters.com/world/africa/m…

To make a case for the extension of the #transition the Malian side presents the idea of the Assises Nationales de la Refondation #ANR. They shall bring clarification of the next steps and needs for the transition 14/

December 2021: The #ANR are taking place all over #Mali. The accumulated results are presented in #Bamako at the end of the year. Spiciest details, an additional 6 months to 5 years are recommended for the transition 15/

https://twitter.com/PresidenceMali/status/1492181880099246083

Backed by the #ANR a Malian delegation is meeting with #ECOWAS officials to present their plan for the extension of the transition by #5moreYears. The proposal is (as to expect) met with refusal. Economic and financial sanctions are being put in place by ECOWAS 16/

14/01/2022: Despite (or maybe because) of the severity of the sanctions the transitional government manages to ressemble the population on their side. Demonstrations against the sanctions and ECOWAS are happening all over Mali 17/

https://twitter.com/JigiAfrica/status/1482094899092594692

#Mali/ #France relationship is also on an all-time low. After the expulsion of their Ambassador, President Macron announces French is speeding up the retreat of #Barkhane, they also won’t participate in follow up mission #Takuba 18/

February 2022: Without the French, #Takuba is dead in the water. It becomes clear that there won’t be a European counter-terrorism mission in Mali after Barkhane leaves. 19/

The former role from the european partners is supposedly filled by Russians. While western partners say it is the PMC “Wagner”, Malian authorities stick to the claim there are official bilateral support by Russia 20/

27/02/2022: the original date for elections to end the #transition passes by. While some political actors claim not the accept the authority of transitional government anymore, nothing else changes, the population supports the actions of the government 21/

The transitional #Charta is being revised. Most crucial change: Members of the transitional government are now allowed to run in upcoming elections, only the (acting) #president is excluded 22/

https://twitter.com/Manon_Laplace/status/1495714335380885504

March 2022: The French media channels #RFI and #France24 report on human rights abuses by Malian security forces, Mali denies these claims and bans the two media outlets. At the same time: no more accreditation for foreign journalists 23/

aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/17…

April 2022: The village of Mourrah, #Mali, becomes a contested topic. While #FAMa claims one of their biggest wins against Al Qaida, human rights experts speak of killings of innocents in the local population 24/

https://twitter.com/JTAtv5monde/status/1511445435315105793

Amplified by #Russias war on #Ukraine and potential human rights abuses by #Wagner in the country, the tensions between Mali and its western partners are on the rise leading to a suspension of the European Union Training Mission #EUTM to Mali 25/

May 2022: Still under sanctions #Mali negotiates with the #ECOWAS on a potential extension of the transition. Both sides are determined on their position and don’t want to back down, all this while the costs of the sanctions are being payed by the Malian population 26/

June 2022: The long awaited #ElectoralReform is passed by the #CNT, the draft that existed since September 2021 has been altered to grant bigger ministerial influence. The role of the Malian supreme court stays unchanged. 27/
lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/mal…

June 2022: With the new electoral law, #Mali presents a new transitional calendar for additional 24 months. The proposal is accepted by #ECOWAS, after 6 months sanctions are lifted 28/

https://twitter.com/JTAfrique/status/1542829542406033408

02/07/2022: The #UNSC renews the mandate for #MINUSMA. #Russia and #China abstain from the vote and are congratulated for a bit the Malian ministry of foreign affairs 29/

July 2022: Growing insecurity in #Mali and #Bamako. The Al Qaida affiliated group #JNIM attacks several military camps in different regions of Mali, one in #Kati only a few kilometers outside of Bamako 30/

A newly created expert group is working on a #ConstitutionalReform, according to the transitional calendar this will be the next big step. Progress is slow and it is questionable if the presented schedule can be respected 31/

Ongoing tensions between Mali and UN-Mission #MINUSMA lead to expulsion of UN spokesperson as well as a temporary stop of rotations in and out of the mission. The rotations can be picked up again a few weeks later 32/

https://twitter.com/MaliMaeci/status/1549762333496512512

15/08/2022: The last french soldiers from #BARKHANE leave #Mali. It is the end of over 9 years of military engagement in the country 33/

https://twitter.com/matteomaillard/status/1559166602003759104

18/08/2022: After 24m transition #Mali is not in a comfortable situation. Insecurity is still present and the relationships with many partners are on an all-time low. So far, the #TransitionalRegime has the support of the population and the process is far from over... 34/34.