Joint Statement of Revolutionary and Anti-Imperialist Organisations, 27 August 2020

1.             After an insurrection of mutinying soldiers, Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has announced his resignation on 18 August. The rebels declared that they will install a transitional government. The overthrow of the Keita regime took place after months of mass protests against the rigged elections which the government tried to suppress with brute force, killing of at least 14 people.

2.             The M5-RFP coalition – a bourgeois alliance of various forces which led the recent mass mobilizations – welcomed the resignation of the authoritarian ruler. In contrast, all imperialist Great Powers – from France, the U.S. to China – as well as West African regimes condemned the end of the Keita regime. They even threaten to impose harsh sanction against Mali.

3.             The reason for this is simple: since coming to power in 2013, Keita has been a willing tool in the hand of the imperialists. He fully supported imperialist military missions in West Africa like MINUSMA and “Operation Barkhane” / “Coalition for the Sahel”. Contrary to official claims, these missions – led by French imperialism – do not serve “the struggle against terrorism”. They rather serve the purpose of securing the political and economic interests of the Great Powers in the region as well as keeping the local ruling classes in power. In addition, such military missions shall stop refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea and entering Europe.

4.             The undersigned organisations sharply denounce the reaction of the imperialist Great Powers and the West African regimes. We strongly reject any sanctions against Mali!

5.             Furthermore, we call for the immediate end of imperialist military interventions in West Africa. Expel all imperialist troops and their local allies!

6.             We support the right of people from the South to enter Europe. Down with the “Fortress Europe” – for “Open Borders”!

7.             While we don’t shed a tear for the dismissed Keita regime, we emphasise that the solution is not a new, self-proclaimed government based on mutinying soldiers. The only way forward is the creation of a government of the workers and popular masses.

List of Signatories:

Revolutionary Socialist Vanguard (Nigeria)

Revolutionary Socialist League (Kenya)

United Textile Employees Lesotho (UNITE)

Pan-Afrikan Consciousness Renaissance (Nigeria)

Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, Kashmir, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Israel/Occupied Palestine, Yemen, Nigeria, Kenya, Russia, Britain, Germany and Austria)