A Malian court has sentenced political figure Issa Kaou N’Djim to two years in prison, with one year suspended, for making critical remarks about the military leadership of neighboring Burkina Faso.
The ruling was delivered in the capital, Bamako, and accompanied by a fine of 1 million CFA francs ($1,600), according to a legal source.
N’Djim, a former ally of Mali’s junta leader Assimi Goita, made the controversial comments during a program aired on local broadcaster Joliba TV News. The authorities responded by shutting down the station in November and issuing a six-month broadcasting ban earlier this month.
The sentencing comes amid heightened political tensions in Mali, marked by the recent disappearance of opposition figure Ibrahim Naby Togola. Togola, who was set to address a news briefing on Saturday, was reportedly abducted by unidentified armed individuals and taken to an undisclosed location.
The opposition platform “Call of February 20, 2023 to Save Mali,” to which Togola belongs, has demanded his immediate and unconditional release.
Both Mali and Burkina Faso, under military rule since coups in 2020 and 2022, face escalating political and security crises. Their military-led governments have been accused of suppressing dissent, silencing journalists, and cracking down on opposition voices.
N’Djim, once a vice president of Mali’s National Transitional Council (CNT), had previously advocated for a swift return to civilian governance. In 2021, he received a six-month suspended sentence for comments deemed damaging to the state’s reputation.
The recent developments underscore the increasing restrictions on political dissent and media freedom in Mali under military leadership.
