Prominent critic Cheick Oumar Diallo's abduction by gendarmes in Bamako has intensified alarm over the junta's escalating repression of dissent and trade union activism.
This statement was originally published on hrw.org on 4 November 2025.
Authorities should urgently locate, release Cheick Oumar Diallo
On the afternoon of October 25, Cheick Oumar Diallo chatted with companions on a street in Mali’s capital, Bamako. Suddenly, four gendarmes arrived in a pickup truck and motorbikes, arrested him, and drove off.
A week later, Diallo – a 43-year-old former trade union member and prominent critic of Mali’s military junta – has not been seen and his whereabouts remain unknown.
Witnesses said that the gendarmes told Diallo they had orders to arrest him. When he asked why he was being detained, they refused to explain. A scuffle broke out as Diallo resisted and he tried to flee. While running, he fell into a ditch and hurt his leg. Witnesses said the gendarmes pulled Diallo from the ditch and tossed him into the back of their pickup.
Diallo’s colleagues said they searched for him in police and gendarmerie stations across Bamako to no avail. They believe his disappearance is linked to his union activism and criticism of the junta.
Diallo is a former employee of the Mali national water company, member of the company’s autonomous union, and a whistleblower. In a July 2024 public letter, he alleged that the water Malians consume was not potable. The authorities arrested him shortly...
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