Mali’s military junta imposed an indefinite ban last week on political activities, the latest of a series of crackdowns in recent months on freedom of association and other civil liberties. Last week’s decree is the latest indicator that Mali’s “interim” government is anything but “interim” and has little desire to relinquish power.
West Africa
On Feb. 28, Guinea’s interim president, Gen. Mamady Doumbouya, appointed a new prime minister, an attempt to address mounting disillusionment toward his military-led transitional government at a time when Guinea’s transition back to an elected government seems to most activists and the political opposition to have stalled.
Senegalese President Macky Sall announced Friday that he would comply with a court order to conduct the country’s presidential election as soon as possible, after he attempted to delay the polls until December. The controversy is just the latest close call for Senegal’s democracy, which has significantly eroded under Sall.