Mali financial workers union calls strike after leader arrested

A worker's union in Mali has called on employees of banks, insurance companies, micro-finance institutions and petrol stations to stop work from Thursday after the arrest of its secretary-general. The National Union of Banks, Insurance Companies, Financial Institutions and Businesses of Mali said its secretary-general, Hamadoun Bah, was arrested on Wednesday. Malian authorities have not confirmed Bah's arrest and the union did not provide further details.

A worker's union in Mali has called on employees of banks, insurance companies, micro-finance institutions and petrol stations to stop work from Thursday after the arrest of its secretary-general. The National Union of Banks, Insurance Companies, Financial Institutions and Businesses of Mali said its secretary-general, Hamadoun Bah, was arrested on Wednesday.

Malian authorities have not confirmed Bah's arrest and the union did not provide further details. The union took the decision following an emergency meeting of its executive bureau on Wednesday, it said in a statement.

Separately, a coalition of political parties and associations known as the Synergy of Action for Mali has called for a protest on Friday against the high cost of living and ongoing electricity cuts in the West African Sahel country, which has been ruled by a junta since 2020.