In the wake of the 4-day National Reconstruction Conference, Mali's military-controlled government said the country could take up to 5 years to return to democratic rule.

A transition period of 6 months to 5 years will enable the government to implement structural and institutional reforms and organize fair and transparent elections, according to a document published at the end of the Conference.

The coup

In August, Mali's Transitional President Colonel Asimi Gueta ousted the country's elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, following protests over his involvement in corruption and his handling of a jihadist insurgency.

After being pressured by France and Mali's neighbors, Gueta pledged the country would return to civilian rule in February 2022 after presidential and legislative elections were held, but he retracted afterward.

On October 26, Mali declared The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Special Representative Hamidou Boly persona non grata, accusing him of "acts incompatible with his status." Boly had left the country the day after the decision was announced. 

It is noteworthy that ECOWAS suspended Mali's membership in the organization and halted financial and commercial exchanges with it after the coup of August 18, 2020. Afterward, the group lifted these sanctions after the junta, led by Colonel Asimi Gueta, appointed a transitional civilian president and prime minister. 

The Sahel region plunged into chaos after Al Qaeda-linked extremists seized northern Mali in 2012.

Since 2018, the violence, which was heavily concentrated on the borders of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, has killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions.