Youssouf Daba Diawara, Aboubacar Soumaré, Moussa “Abba” Djiré and Ibrahima Tamega were presented to Mali’s specialised cybercrime judicial authorities on 20 October and are now held at Bamako’s main prison, according to RFI’s account published on 28 October. Their appearance ends months in which they were held in unknown locations without judicial oversight.
Diawara is an associate of imam Mahmoud Dicko; Soumaré led Mali Debout; and Djiré led Yiriwa 223. RFI says masked State Security agents seized the three in Bamako in early May. Tamega, associated with the Convergence party and a youth democracy collective, was initially arrested through an ordinary police procedure that month.
The four had criticised the transition authorities and called for elections and respect for the Constitution. Their organisations were subsequently dissolved alongside Mali’s other political parties and associations. Their transfer establishes their whereabouts, but does not amount to their release. Tall, who was taken earlier in May, had still not reappeared.