Tag Archives: politics

Pushing all the right buttons

Posted on May 7, 2012 by brucewhitehouse

Mali’s strongman is a skillful communicator Since the coup d’état six weeks ago, Malians at home and abroad have been desperate to gauge the character and motivations of the men who carried it out. Starting in the early morning of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

Au revoir Sarko

Posted on May 6, 2012 by brucewhitehouse

What if you were to take an opinion poll in Bamako (a purely hypothetical case — such things almost never happen) and ask, “Which world leader do you hate most?” I’m quite certain Nicolas Sarkozy would top the list. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

ECOWAS screws the pooch

Posted on April 29, 2012 by brucewhitehouse

Last week Mali’s political scene appeared to be moving in the right direction. Prime Minister Diarra’s transitional government was finally named, and the CNRDRE junta in Kati was keeping relatively quiet, having gone several days without arresting anyone. Even the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Hail the newcomers

Posted on April 26, 2012 by brucewhitehouse

On Wednesday, after days of delay, the composition of Prime Minister Cheikh Modibo Diarra’s government was finally announced. Like the prime minister himself, most of the cabinet ministers selected are outsiders to Bamako’s political scene, and could not be easily … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Life goes on amid crisis

Posted on April 24, 2012 by brucewhitehouse

It’s the hot season in Bamako. How hot is it? When you turn on the cold water tap, you get hot water. That’s how hot it is. Power outages are still a daily occurrence in town, but for the last … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Catch and release

Posted on April 20, 2012 by brucewhitehouse

Just a few days ago, many observers outside Mali believed that the CNRDRE junta responsible for ousting President Amadou Toumani Touré (ATT) last month had departed the political scene, having handed control of the state to a civilian government. Events … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

On the junta for enemies

Posted on April 17, 2012 by brucewhitehouse

On Tuesday we started hearing about the arrests. Former prime minister and presidential candidate Modibo Sidibé was taken from his home Monday night by soldiers and brought to the military base in Kati, where the CNRDRE junta is headquartered. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Captain Sanogo stays in the picture

Posted on April 10, 2012 by brucewhitehouse

Over the long weekend in Mali (Easter Monday was a day off for schools and offices here), the country’s process of transition from military to civilian constitutional power was officially launched. President Amadou Toumani Touré appeared on state television on … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 24 Comments

Light at the end of the tunnel?

Posted on April 7, 2012 by brucewhitehouse

It had been rumored to be taking shape for more than 24 hours, and finally on Friday night came the official announcement: Mali’s ruling CNRDRE junta has signed an agreement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The devil they don’t know

Posted on March 28, 2012 by brucewhitehouse

Post-coup situation update, Wednesday, March 28: At 10:00 p.m. Tuesday night an army lawyer appeared on ORTM TV and announced that Mali now has a new constitution, composed of 70 articles, which he proceeded to read one by one. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 28 Comments