Four years after the military ousted Mali’s former president and took control, many residents are experiencing a worsening economic crisis, marked by constant power cuts that are severely impacting businesses. The August 2020 coup, sparked by public discontent with corrupt leaders, the spread of jihadist insurgency, and economic hardship, has left many Malians waiting for life to improve.
The power outages are a major source of frustration. “The way they’ve handled the electricity situation is a problem. Many Malians are experiencing huge losses,” said Oumar Diarra, a furniture maker. “The government has to make an effort because we are suffering enormously.”
The 2020 coup in Mali triggered a wave of similar events across the Sahel region, including in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, all grappling with the same jihadist groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.
The current military rulers in Mali, who seized power in a second coup in 2021, have broken a promise to hold elections in February, indefinitely postponing the vote due to technical reasons. Allasana Ag Agaly, a silversmith, described the impact of power cuts on everyday life. “If the head of the family goes out in the morning and comes back at night without being able to work to bring something to his family, it will affect the children, the women and everyday life,” he said.
The World Bank estimates that economic growth in Mali will slow to 3.1% this year from 3.5% last year, with extreme poverty levels rising. A staggering 90% of Mali’s population lives in poverty.
The military leaders in Mali, alongside their counterparts in Niger and Burkina Faso, have expelled French and U.N. troops who had been fighting Islamist insurgents for a decade, turning to Russia for assistance instead. While some residents express hope and view the current hardship as a price for greater independence from France, others are struggling to cope. “Political independence without economic independence is meaningless,” said Alkady Haidara, a resident in the capital Bamako. “I just want Malians to be patient, because it’s part of life. You have to go through a difficult time to have a brighter moment.”
