Malian imam Mahmoud Dicko, the junta's bête noire in Mali, has joined a new coalition of exiled opposition figures whose activities began on Thursday and which is urging "resistance".

"Imam Mahmoud Dicko has agreed to be part of the 'Coalition of Forces for the Republic' (CFR) which began its activities this Thursday," Ousmane Maïga, a follower of the religious leader, told AFP.

Living in Algiers since December 2023, Imam Mahmoud Dicko has not returned to Mali since, as his relations with the junta have deteriorated significantly.

A supporter of the military who seized power by overthrowing President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in August 2020, Imam Mahmoud Dicko quickly distanced himself from the junta.

His presence in Algeria has contributed to deteriorating relations between Bamako and Algiers, with Malian military accusing the neighboring country of contributing to "the destabilization" of Mali.

"We, the driving forces, intellectuals, political actors, republican military, social leaders and members of the diaspora, announce the creation of the Coalition of Forces for the Republic (CFR), a movement of democratic resistance and national safeguarding," declared the founders of the CFR in a statement signed by their spokesperson, Etienne Fakaba Sissoko.

The members of the CFR also intend to "end the massacres of civilians and soldiers by opening a national dialogue with Malian armed actors, restore fundamental freedoms (...), organize a short transition (18 months maximum) towards a legitimate constitutional order", according to the same statement.

"Mali is currently experiencing one of the most serious crises in its contemporary history," the text reads.

"Our state is weakened, our people are wounded, our institutions are corrupted, and our sovereignty is captured by a toxic alliance of economic predation, kleptocratic militarization, and the instrumentalization of fear," the founders of the CFR believe, adding: "In this context, resistance is no longer a moral option: it is a national duty."

Former Malian ministers and politicians are members of the CFR. Some do not wish to be named at this time "for security and strategic reasons".

On Thursday, shortly before the announcement of the creation of the CFR, supporters of Imam Mahmoud Dicko released a statement praising him entitled "Why is Imam Mahmoud Dicko indispensable today?".

"Because he possesses a social legitimacy that the transitional authorities do not have. Unlike a military power imposed by force, Mahmoud Dicko derives his legitimacy from popular trust and his spiritual role," his supporters argue in the same text signed by the "sentinels of the Republic."

Since 2012, Mali has faced a deep security crisis, fueled in particular by violence from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM, affiliated with Al-Qaeda), the Islamic State (IS) organization, as well as community criminal groups.

The military, in power since two coups in 2020 and 2021, are struggling to contain jihadist violence.