Mali: Communiqué from the Council of Ministers of Wednesday, April 10, 2024 – Malian Agency of Press and Advertising

The Council of Ministers met in its ordinary session, on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in its deliberation room at the Palais de Koulouba, under the presidency of Colonel Assimi GOITA, President of the Transition, Head of State.

After examining the items on the agenda, the Council:

– adopted draft texts;

– made appointments;

– and heard communications.

ON LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY MEASURES

1. On the report of the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, the Council of Ministers adopted a draft decree suspending the activities of political parties and political activities of associations.

Political parties and associations are respectively governed by Law No. 05-047 of August 18, 2005 on political parties and Law No. 04-038 of August 5, 2004 on associations.

According to these laws, political parties are organizations of citizens united by an ideal, taking the form of a societal project, for the realization of which they participate in political life through democratic means. As for associations, they are agreements by which several people pool their knowledge or activities on a permanent basis for a purpose other than sharing profits.

The law on associations does not authorize political parties to form groupings in the form of associations. These groupings are formed in the form of undeclared associations which have lost their legal status since the adoption of Ordinance No. 2024-008/PT-RM of March 28, 2024 amending the law on associations.

Faced with the multiple challenges facing the country, the Transition Authorities have initiated holistic actions that take into account both security issues and development in order to ensure the well-being of the population.

Despite the willingness and availability of the Authorities to act in consensus with the people and the clarity of the legislative and regulatory provisions that govern the actions of political parties and other forms of political organizations, the subversive actions of political parties and their allies are only increasing. In view of these observations, for reasons of public order, the draft decree adopted suspends the activities of political parties and political activities of associations until further notice across the entire national territory.

2. On the report of the Minister of Urban Planning, Housing, Land, Land Use Planning and Population, the Council of Ministers adopted a draft decree authorizing and declaring the extension of the security perimeter around the military aerodrome and main ammunition depot located in Kati as of public utility.

The project to extend the security perimeter around the military aerodrome and main ammunition depot of the Armed Forces, located in Kati, is part of the implementation of the Program for the safeguarding and securing of the land assets allocated to the Army. The works, which consist of the construction of a wall around the sensitive installations and the extension of the runway of the military aerodrome, encroach on private properties that need to be expropriated for reasons of public utility in accordance with the provisions of the property and land law.

The completion of these works will improve the working conditions of the Armed Forces through, among other things:

– compliance with the security standards required for ammunition depots;

– the expansion of maneuvering space for air vectors;

– minimizing damage to civilian populations in case of incidents or accidents at the installations.

ON INDIVIDUAL MEASURES

The Council of Ministers made the following appointments:

UNDER THE MINISTRY OF SECURITY AND CIVIL PROTECTION

– Mission officers: Mr. Yacouba DIALLO, Criminologist;

Mr. Amadou Mahamane SANGHO, Journalist-Filmmaker.

UNDER THE MINISTRY OF MINES

– Mission officers: Mr. Abdoulaye SYLLA, Human Resources Manager; Mr. Baye COULIBALY, Sociologist.

UNDER THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP, EMPLOYMENT AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING

– Technical Advisor: Mr. Amadou BAMBA, Researcher-Teacher.

ON COMMUNICATIONS

1. The Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Keeper of the Seals informed the Council of Ministers of Mali’s participation in the Interactive Dialogue on the Human Rights Situation in Mali. The Interactive Dialogue on the Human Rights Situation in Mali took place on March 28, 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland. This event provided a platform for discussions on the report of the Independent Expert on the Human Rights Situation in Mali for the period from April 4 to November 30, 2023.

In response to the content of the report of the Independent Expert which describes a worrying situation, the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Keeper of the Seals criticized the report for its bias and reliance on unverified information. He highlighted the efforts and progress made in the field of human rights, including:

– progress made in combating impunity;

– accelerating the fight against corruption;

– intensifying the fight against slavery by descent, sexual violence related to conflicts, and gender-based violence;

– implementing numerous political and institutional reforms, including the adoption and promulgation of a new Constitution;

– strengthening the process of peace and national reconciliation through direct dialogue among Malians;

– preserving the civic space through the free exercise of freedom of expression and opinion, which are guaranteed constitutional rights;

– the progressive return of the state and the redeployment of basic social services in several areas.

The Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Keeper of the Seals, while opposing the politicization and instrumentalization of human rights, reaffirmed the firm commitment of the Government of Mali to continue, in strict respect of its sovereignty, its cooperation with all mechanisms related to these rights.

2. The Minister of Labor, Civil Service and Social Dialogue informed the Council of Ministers of the status of the organization process of direct recruitment competitions in the State Civil Service, exercise 2023. As part of the organization of direct recruitment competitions in the State Civil Service, 65,817 applications were registered in the various bodies of the Civil Service. The city of Bamako alone recorded 45,965 applications, accounting for 69.83% of registered candidates. The exams will begin on April 13, 2024 in the six centers in the interior and in Bamako, at precisely 08:00 AM. The launch of the first technical exam in the Corps of Agriculture and Rural Engineering Engineers will take place at Lycée BA Aminata DIALLO in Bamako at 07:45 AM. The competitions will continue every weekend in Bamako and in the six centers in the interior until May 5, 2024.
3. The Minister of Urban Planning, Housing, Land, Land Use Planning and Population informed the Council of Ministers of the measures taken for the publication of the final list of beneficiaries of 11 social housing units in Kadiolo. The program of 12,566 social housing units includes 9,483 units in the Bamako District and 3,083 in the interior locations of the country, including the town of Kadiolo with 50 F3 sheet metal social housing units. The allocation committee created for this purpose received fourteen applications. At the end of its work, eleven were selected.
4. The Minister of Religious Affairs, Worship, and Customs informed the Council of Ministers of Mali’s participation in the 15th Doha Forum on Interreligious Dialogue. Strengthening Interreligious Dialogue for a united and peaceful Mali is a priority action of the Transition Authorities. In this dynamic, the 14th Forum held in 2022 in Doha saw the participation of the Minister of Religious Affairs, Worship, and Customs who signed a memorandum on behalf of Mali with the State of Qatar, focusing on interreligious dialogue. In this context, Mali is invited to participate in the 15th forum which will take place on May 7 and 8, 2024 in Doha, Qatar.
5. The Minister of Health and Social Development informed the Council of Ministers:

5.1. of Mali’s participation in the 13th Meeting of the Tripartite Commission Republic of Mali-Burkina Faso-United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The Minister of Health and Social Development participated from March 26 to 28, 2024 in Burkina Faso in the 13th Session of the Tripartite Agreement, Republic of Mali-Burkina Faso-United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. During the deliberations of this session, the issue of voluntary repatriation of Burkinabe refugees living in Mali was taken into account, as well as the voluntary repatriation of Malian refugees living in Burkina Faso. Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to continue their efforts to consolidate Peace and Security throughout their respective territories. Recommendations were made, including:

– presentation of repatriation statistics for two periods from 2013 to 2017 and from 2018 onwards;

– strengthening the monitoring mechanism for the spontaneous return of Burkinabe refugees from Mali. The conclusion of the session was marked by the signing of the revised Agreement. The next meeting of the Tripartite Commission is scheduled for September 24 to 26, 2024 in Bamako.

5.2. on the epidemiological situation of the country, notably:

1. by a stagnation in the number of positive cases of Coronavirus compared to the previous week;
2. by a decrease in the number of confirmed dengue cases compared to the previous week. However, the President of the Transition, Head of State, urged the population to strictly adhere to preventive measures and fight against diseases.