Mali's purge: A military regime afraid of its shadow

MALTS government has detained dozens of soldiers, mostly from the National Guard, over an alleged plot to destabilise the regime.

- SESONA MDLOKOVANA

Reports vary, but between 30 and 55 arrests have been made, including two prominent generals, Abass Dembélé and Néma Sagara. The lack of a clear explanation from Bamako suggests a regime that is not demonstrating strength, but rather acting out of fear and perceiving threats from within.

While every junta asserts its mandate is to establish order, Mali’s military government has, conversely, institutionalised unpredictability. In May, political parties were dissolved and gatherings prohibited.

By July, a compliant process granted Colonel Assimi Goita a renewable five-year presidential term, effectively extending military rule indefinitely and extinguishing any hope of a brief transition. Within a matter of weeks, the regime criminalised diversity and sanctioned its own perpetual authority.

This is not governance; it is the administrative formalisation of apprehension.

The recent arrests highlight a deeper issue: the government's primary mode of governance is preemption. This preventive political approach extends to purges, which ultimately undermine cohesion. In times of war, militaries require clear command and trust among their ranks. However, purges foster the opposite: hesitation, factionalism, and officers prioritising loyalty checks over battlefield adaptation. The evidence is clear: violence has persisted since the 2020-2021 coups. JNIM and Islamic State affiliates have expanded their operations, and high-casualty attacks, such as the recent assault waves in central and southern sectors, indicate an enemy that is evolving faster than the state.