A financial workers’ union in Mali on Saturday, June 8, 2024, called for employees of banks, insurance companies, micro-finance institutions, and petrol stations to extend their strike until its secretary-general is released from detention.
The National Union of Banks, Insurance Companies, Financial Institutions, and Businesses of Mali (SYNABEF) initiated a strike from Thursday to Saturday following the arrest of its secretary-general, Hamadoun Bah, on Wednesday.
In a new statement, SYNABEF urged employees to continue the strike from Sunday onwards. The union stated, “SYNABEF decides to continue the work stoppage from June 9, 2024, until the full release of our comrade.”
SYNABEF’s former secretary-general, Aguibou Bouare, told Reuters on Wednesday that he had visited Bah in prison. Bah was reportedly arrested after a bank union committee member accused him of forging a document related to an internal union matter.
In a separate development, a coalition of political parties and associations known as the Synergy of Action for Mali has called for protests against the high cost of living and ongoing electricity cuts.
Mali has been under military rule since a coup in 2020. Tensions have increased in recent months due to the authorities’ failure to organize promised elections and their efforts to restrict political and civic space.
