UN Experts Demand Mali Reveal Fate of Missing Journalist El Bachir Thiam

UN experts stressed that Mali’s authorities are increasingly relying on enforced disappearances to silence dissent.

United Nations human rights experts have issued a strong call to Malian authorities to immediately disclose the whereabouts of El Bachir Thiam, a journalist and civil society activist who has been missing for four months. They warned that his case reflects a deepening pattern of enforced disappearances and political repression under Mali's transitional government.

A Journalist and Activist Targeted

Thiam, a journalist with the MaliActu news website, is also a prominent member of several civic and political movements. He is affiliated with the Yelema – Le Changement party, led by former Prime Minister Moussa Mara, the Collectif Sirako, and a youth movement advocating for a return to constitutional order. In these roles, Thiam has been an outspoken communications officer and spokesperson for pro-democracy efforts.

On 8 May 2025, Thiam was allegedly abducted in Kati town, north of Bamako, in front of multiple witnesses. Reports suggest that at least five hooded men forced him into a gray Toyota V8 with tinted windows and no license plates. The perpetrators are believed to be agents of the Agence Nationale de la Sécurité d'État (ANSE), Mali's intelligence service, or elements of the Bamako gendarmerie du Camp I.

Despite his family and colleagues searching police stations and gendarmerie posts in Bamako and Kati, no trace of him has been found. His condition and fate remain unknown.

Legal Action and Mounting Fears

On 17 July 2025, Thiam's wife, Mariam Dagnon, filed a formal complaint for kidnapping and disappearance with the Public Prosecutor of the Kati Court of First Instance. Human rights advocates fear that his prolonged secret detention is taking a serious toll on his physical and psychological health.

The abduction occurred during a wave of peaceful protests launched in early May 2025 by political parties, civil society groups, and youth movements in response to new restrictive laws passed in April. These laws have further curtailed civic freedoms under the transitional government, already accused of eroding democratic space since the military coups of 2020 and 2021.

Enforced Disappearance: A Systematic Pattern

UN experts stressed that Mali's authorities are increasingly relying on enforced disappearances to silence dissent. "Such acts place victims outside the protection of the law and constitute enforced disappearance under Mali's Penal Code," they said, noting that the practice is both criminal under international law and a grave human rights violation.

They described a systematic pattern: the frequency of cases, the organized methods, and the involvement of security services suggest state-sanctioned operations. "ANSE is acting with an apparent sense of impunity and entitlement," the experts warned.

According to the 2021 ordinance creating ANSE, the agency operates directly under the authority of the President of the Republic, and its agents enjoy broad immunity unless caught in "flagrant violation of procedures." This lack of oversight has raised serious concerns about criminal accountability at the highest levels of government.

Escalating Repression in Mali

The experts linked Thiam's disappearance to the escalating repression of journalists, political opponents, and human rights defenders in Mali. They recalled similar concerns raised in 2021, 2024, and earlier in 2025, but stressed that the situation has worsened sharply in recent months.

One example is a presidential decree issued on 13 May 2025, which dissolved all political parties and organisations deemed to have a political nature. This effectively eliminated organised political opposition and further restricted Malians' right to free association.

Calls for Immediate Action

"Mali must immediately and unconditionally release El Bachir Thiam and others who have disappeared, and end the crackdown on civil society," the experts urged. They demanded effective investigations, accountability, and remedies for victims and their families.

The experts have formally written to the Malian government and vowed to closely monitor developments in Thiam's case and the broader human rights situation in the country.

As Mali prepares for a long-promised transition to civilian rule, the disappearance of El Bachir Thiam highlights both the fragility of civic freedoms and the deepening authoritarian grip of security institutions in the country.