Mali Union Calls for Strike Amid Secretary-General's Arrest

A worker's union in Mali has called for a temporary strike in banks and related sectors following the arrest of its secretary-general, Hamadoun Bah. The union urges work cessation from Thursday to Saturday. Authorities have not confirmed the arrest, which is linked to document forgery allegations. A protest against living costs and power cuts is also planned.

A worker's union in Mali has called on employees of banks, insurance companies, micro-finance institutions and petrol stations to temporarily stop work from Thursday after the arrest of its secretary-general.

The National Union of Banks, Insurance Companies, Financial Institutions and Businesses of Mali (SYNABEF) said its secretary-general, Hamadoun Bah, was arrested on Wednesday. In a statement, it called for employees to halt work from Thursday until Saturday following an emergency meeting of its executive bureau.

Malian authorities have not confirmed Bah's arrest. SYNABEF's former secretary-general, Aguibou Bouare, told Reuters he had visited Bah in prison on Wednesday.

He said Bah was arrested after a complaint was filed by a member of a bank's union committee, accusing the secretary-general of forging a document related to an internal union matter. 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.

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