Sat Aug 02 11:57:47 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

Former Malian Prime Minister Moussa Mara has been detained pending trial after expressing support for jailed critics of the military junta in power. The arrest is part of a broader crackdown on dissent following a recent pro-democracy rally. Mara faces charges including undermining state authority and spreading false information. This development follows a period of political instability in Mali, where the military has extended its rule despite earlier promises of a return to civilian governance.

**News Article:**

**Former Mali PM Detained for Supporting Junta Critics**

*Bomako, Mali – August 2, 2025* – Former Malian Prime Minister Moussa Mara was placed in pretrial detention on Friday, August 1st, after publicly voicing solidarity with imprisoned opponents of the ruling military junta. The arrest signals a deepening crackdown on dissent in the West African nation, according to his lawyer and close associates.

Mara’s detention comes after he posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, expressing support for jailed critics of the military regime, which seized power in 2020 and 2021. He faces charges including undermining state authority, inciting public disorder, and spreading false information, according to his lawyer, Mountaga Tall.

“He is accused of ‘damaging the state’s credibility’,” an anonymous member of the cybercrime unit told *The Associated Press*. His trial is scheduled to begin September 29, 2025.

Abdoulaye Yaro, a close associate of Mara, said the former Prime Minister was arrested after a cybercrime prosecutor ordered his detention.

Mali has been grappling with political instability since Gen. Assimi Goita led two coups in 2020 and 2021. Goita was granted an additional five years in power in June, despite the junta’s original commitment to restoring civilian rule by March 2024. The military regime also dissolved political parties in May, further raising concerns about the suppression of political opposition. Mara’s legal team is contesting the charges and detention.

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