Bamako, Mali – Moussa Mara, a former prime minister of Mali, which is currently under military rule, has been charged with undermining the credibility of the state following comments he made on social media. The charges also include opposing legitimate authority and inciting public disorder.
The charges stem from a post on X (formerly Twitter) on July 4, 2025, where Mara expressed “unwavering solidarity with prisoners of conscience” after visiting detained opposition figures. Mara, who served as prime minister a decade ago, has been an outspoken critic of the military government, which came to power in coups in 2020 and 2021 and dissolved all political parties in May following rare anti-government protests.
Radio France Internationale reported that the prosecutor at the national cybercrime unit deemed Mara’s use of the term “prisoners of conscience” and his declaration of intent to “fight for them” to be a criminal offence. In his post, Mara also said that his visits were to ensure “the flame of hope never fades” and that “we will fight by all means” for the sun to rise again “as soon as possible.” Mara was detained and questioned for a second time by the national cybercrime unit on Thursday before being charged on Friday. He is scheduled to stand trial on September 29.
This development follows the transitional parliament’s decision a month ago to grant military leader General Assimi Goïta a five-year presidential term, which is renewable without elections. Goïta, 41, who seized power twice, had previously promised to hold elections in 2022, a pledge he has since reneged on.
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