A second disappearance follows Mountaga Tall’s abduction 

Cheick Mamadou Tall has been reported missing since May 16, following a telephone call, according to the family’s legal team. This incident comes just two weeks after his father, Mountaga Tall, was forcibly taken on May 2 in Bamako. The family asserts that the lawyer was seized by masked individuals. To date, no official details regarding his whereabouts or the circumstances of his abduction have been released.

A vocal critic of the military government

Mountaga Tall, a former influential member of the M5 movement which played a role in the ousting of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in 2020, initially supported the military’s rise to power before becoming one of their most outspoken critics. The lawyer is currently representing several military personnel facing charges of “attempted destabilization of institutions” and has also legally challenged the transitional authorities’ decision to dissolve political parties, a significant issue in African politics.

An increasingly volatile political climate 

These disappearances unfold against a backdrop of a fragile security and political landscape. In late April, strategic positions held by the military regime were targeted in attacks claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, and rebels from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). In response to this grave situation, the Tall family’s lawyers are urging administrative and judicial authorities to exert “every effort” to locate both men and to fully investigate the circumstances surrounding their disappearances, highlighting the need for transparent governance Africa.