Populist civil society, the Wagner Group, and post-coup politics in Mali

Sebastian Elischer

No 36, West African Papers from OECD Publishing

Abstract: The military coup of August 2020 upended Mali’s fragile liberal democratic order. The junta-led transitionary government defies international pressure to fasten the return of democratically-elected rulers and constitutional rule. The ability of the junta to shape the course of Malian politics rests on two interconnected pillars. First, there is public resentment towards the post-1991 political class and France’s military involvement in the country. The forces representing that resentment view the junta as change makers and have formed influential political organisations that oppose there turn to the status quo ante. Second, there is the security co-operation with Russian mercenaries, which provides the transitionary government with an alternative security partner. The paper traces the origins, evolution, and the future strength of these pillars. It concludes by outlining future political scenarios and the future role of the military in Malian politics.

Keywords: democracy; Mali; military coup; Russia; Wagner Group (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D74 F50 F55 P48 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022-07-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cdm, nep-cis and nep-pol
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oec:swacaa:36-en

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