Mali’s State Of Emergency Increases Concern Over Freedom Of Press

The media and members of the press in Mali have cried out in fear over being stifled as a result of the state of emergency was announced on Friday 18th of December.

The announcement was made as part of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

Aside from having control over the media, Restoring The state of emergency allows the authorities to prohibit the movement of people, order the closure of public places or ban demonstrations and public meetings. currently, the government has placed a ban on schools, restaurants, entertainment centers.

The state of emergency, which has been in place since 2015, was lifted following the August 18 coup d’état and had remained so until today. This time around, till Jan 10th, 2021.

In a press statement, the Spokesperson for the government, Hamadoun Toureh announced the new measures were taken concerning the rising COVID-19 cases. Toureh said a state of emergency has been declared for 10 days. The educational institutions, restaurants, entertainment venues, and some marketplaces will remain closed till Jan. 10.

In the country of about 20 million people, at least 6,049 cases have been detected infected since the outbreak of the virus, with 211 deaths. There are about 150 daily cases in Mali as of December.