Malians have been digesting the news that there's finally to be a referendum on whether to update their constitution on June 18th. It's supposed to move the vast country towards civilian rule after a military junta seized power in 2020. Mali has been ruled by the military junta since a 2020 coup against an elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. It has faced destabilising attacks by armed extremist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group since 2013. Mali's vast size and skeletal road network makes staging a referendum very challenging, even without the insurgencies in the north.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 06, 2023 15:37 UTC