In Mali, two political opposition leaders have gone missing, raising concerns of potential forced disappearances. Abba Alhassane, the 68-year-old secretary general of the Convergence for the Development of Mali (CODEM), was reportedly taken from his home in Bamako by masked gunmen on May 8, 2025. His colleagues assert that the assailants claimed to be gendarmes and transported him in an unmarked vehicle.
On the same day, El Bachir Thiam, a leader of The Change party (YELEMA), was allegedly abducted by unidentified men in Kati town, about 15 kilometers from Bamako. Party members and local media have reported these incidents.
Both parties have searched police and gendarmerie stations across Bamako and Kati but have not found any trace of Alhassane or Thiam. Authorities have not provided information on their whereabouts or indicated if investigations are underway.
The parties were part of a significant gathering organized by Mali’s political opposition on May 3 to protest against the military junta’s decision to dissolve all political parties and appoint Gen. Assimi Goïta as president until 2030. General Goïta assumed power after a coup in 2021 and has postponed elections while restricting freedom of expression and association.
During the May 3 protest, hundreds gathered in Bamako. Over 80 political parties and two civil society organizations issued a declaration demanding a return to civilian rule by December 31, 2025, a timetable for constitutional order restoration, and the release of political prisoners.
The Malian Council of Ministers reacted by suspending all political activities in an effort to maintain public order.
International human rights law defines enforced disappearance as detention by state officials or agents with subsequent refusal to acknowledge it or reveal the person’s fate. Such disappearances put individuals at high risk of severe abuse.
The cases of Alhassane and Thiam highlight concerns for Mali’s political opposition. There is a call for the junta to disclose their whereabouts and release them immediately.
