Mali PM Choguel Maiga Remanded in Custody on Embezzlement Charges

Mali’s former prime minister Choguel Maiga has been charged with embezzlement and remanded in custody amid a wider military crackdown over an alleged coup plot. Once a key supporter of Mali’s junta after its 2020 and 2021 coups, Maiga was dismissed in 2024 after criticizing delays in restoring civilian rule. Prosecutors accuse him of laundering billions of CFA francs, while his trial date is pending. His arrest follows mass detentions and reflects the junta’s growing authoritarianism, including jailing critics, dissolving parties, and extending President Assimi Goita’s rule. Analysts see Maiga’s imprisonment as evidence of the regime’s fragility amid ongoing security crises.