Mali junta suspends political parties' activities 'until further notice'

A pro-junta demonstrator holds a banner as opposing political parties protest against potential dissolution by Mali's military authorities in Bamako on May 3, 2025. [AFP]

Mali's junta on Wednesday suspended political parties' activities "until further notice for reasons of public order", as the opposition protests against the military government's ramped-up crackdown on dissent.

Read out on national television and radio, the decree comes ahead of a rally called for Friday by parties critical of the junta against their dissolution, as well as for a return to constitutional order in the insecurity-ridden Sahel nation.