Following the appointment of many soldiers as head of the regions, the appointments of Marcelin Guenguere, Chief of Staff, and Sékou Allaye Bolly, Project Leader, within the Ministry of National Reconciliation are controversial.
A “monumental error”. For this Malian association that has been running intermediaries for several years, Marcelin Guenguere and Sékou Allaye Bolly are “not the right people” at the Ministry of National Reconciliation. Especially since Marcelin Guenguere is the former spokesman for the Dogon militia Dan Na Amassagou, involved in many bloody attacks in the middle of the country.
The organization is accused by the Fulani community, a report by UN experts and human rights groups, of complementing the Malian army and of carrying out civilian executions. Charges were rejected by Dan Na Amassagou, who, however, was officially dissolved last year by the Malian government. Rejected by the militia, this message never followed up.
“They are very poorly placed to unite communities”
Marcelin Guenguere was elected to Koro in the Mopti region in April last year, and Marcelin Guenguere marked the spirits with his extremely violent rhetoric in speeches held during his election campaign or later in the half cycle, especially against Fulani.
However, a researcher who specializes in conflicts between societies recalls Marcelin Guenguere’s commitment in the summer of 2019, when he took a stand against the military wing of his militia, for the signing of a peace agreement between Fulani and Dogon’s armed groups in Macina.
As for Sékou Allaye Bolly, a businessman, he made himself known by trying to encourage the young Fulani jihadists from the center to lay down their arms. Among the many interviewed Malian researchers and mediators, some describe him as a militiaman, others as just an instrument of the authorities. In any case, everyone believes that his words have little weight in Fulani society, and even less so among the combatants, who ‘are jihadists or militias.
Last month, Colonel Ismaël Wagué, one of the authors Coup in August last year, had already been entrusted with the portfolio of national reconciliation. “This ministry is now run by soldiers and militiamen who are part of the conflict, concludes a mediator from central Mali. They are therefore very poorly placed to unite communities.”
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