Mali’s military junta has named a colonel, Abdoulaye Maiga, as the country’s interim replacement for the country’s civilian prime minister, who has been hospitalised.
His appointment was announced in a decree read on state television on Sunday.
Colonel Maiga is also government spokesman and minister of territorial administration and decentralisation.
He temporarily replaces Choguel Kokalla Maiga, a seasoned civilian politician, who was chosen premier when the junta that gained power in August 2020 staged a second coup in May 2021.
Maiga had served several times as minister in previous governments.
He was a founder member of the June 5 Movement, a coalition that had launched a wave of protests against Mali’s elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, before he was toppled in 2020.
Maiga has been critised by many of his allies for following the junta’s line.
His replacement by a colonel means that both of Mali’s seniormost government positions are currently in the hands of the military.
