On August 18^th, the Malian military allied with the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP) initiated a coup d’état. President Ibrahim Bouba Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse were arrested at gun point and forced to resign. Despite the coup receiving popularity from most Malian citizens, the international community has expressed condemnation towards the actions, fearing that regional stability could be at risk.

Criticism towards the CNSP’s actions, however, have not been limited to international condemnation. In fact, regional actors and institutions have perhaps been more proactive in their response. The chairman of the African Union (AU), South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, “demanded the release of Keita and other top government officials,” according to Al Jazeera. This was followed by an announcement that Mali’s membership would be suspended until constitutional order is restored. Likewise, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also suspended Mali from internal decision-making bodies. Regional decisions to penalize the CNSP have largely been supported by the international community. United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted shortly after these decisions were made that the U.S. was in complete support of both ECOWAS and the AU.

Despite extremely poor living standards and an overall lack of trust in Keita’s governance to resolve domestic issues, the recent military coup has only aggravated political and economic instability in Mali. As such, the dissolution of constitutional order opens the possibility of terrorist organizations in the region taking advantage of fragile domestic security. For the Malian society, the coup was hardly surprising. Broken promises, a perceived incompetence, and growing corruption were all factors that led Malian people to protest for Keita’s resignation. Months of demonstrations culminated in the formation of a coalition named the July 5th Movement, who strongly supported the military’s decision. Furthermore, the CNSP declared that the coup was necessary and most certainly warranted considering the President’s consistent failure to address domestic crises.

Not only were the standards of living significantly low under Keita, but domestic security was still suffering from the previous coup’s implications. Indeed, the 2012 coup allowed separatists in the country, allied with an al-Qaeda offshoot, to briefly seize various parts of the northern region. According to Al Jazeera, however, the first seven months of this year (under Keita) have proven deadlier than any year since Mali was thrown into turmoil in 2012. Moreover, the recent social unrest in Mali has also largely been a result of an unpopular constitutional court decision made under Keita’s Presidency. The decision overruled legislative elections, providing extra seats to Keita’s party.

Future prospects of peace and stability in the region have certainly been undermined by this aggressive military intervention. More importantly, the Malian people are already living with issues of displacement, coronavirus, and food shortages. And now, a complete uncertainty of Mali’s political future. Although regional condemnation has certainly been warranted, the AU and ECOWAS need to aim their efforts at supporting the Malian people who are undergoing a serious crisis.