An influential religious figure in Mali, Imam Mahmoud Dicko was one of the leaders of the protest movement that ousted former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (IBK). Known as the "kingmaker," he briefly associated with the five colonels before adopting a critical stance that quickly put him in the crosshairs of Bamako's powerful figures.

Having fallen from grace, the native of Timbuktu joined Algeria in December 2023. Since then, his supporters who remained in Mali have repeatedly announced his return to Bamako, but he has never returned home.

He was recently spotted in Nouakchott, Mauritania, during the 6th ^edition of the African Conference for the Promotion of Peace.

France 24 journalist Wassim Nasr interviewed him on that occasion. And the least one can say is that this imam has now become the main figure of the Coalition of Forces for the Republic (CFR), a newly created opposition party.

In this capacity, he is working to unite all the forces of the Malian opposition, notably JNIM. "From my discussions with him, he has very little hope for negotiations or anything else with the junta in power in Mali. What he talks about is reconciliation. Uniting the Malian opposition, that is to say the CFR, other figures of the Malian opposition, the Tuareg-dominated Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), but also JNIM, the Sahelian branch of Al Qaeda," the journalist stated.

For him, Imam Dicko "is the only personality accepted and respected by all parties, including the JNIM, which accepts his role as mediator with the other opposition groups."

This France 24 employee, targeted by the AES for his alleged contacts in terrorist circles, goes further by claiming that it is the "JNIM that sets the tone" for this union of opposition forces.

According to him, the terrorist organization is "the military force that imposes its choices on Mali, whether around the capital or in other regions."

If we believe the journalist's statements, Imam Dicko is fostering an alliance between Malian opposition political forces and JNIM, which, let's be clear, is a terrorist group. The religious leader is even said to be in favor of including JNIM at the negotiating table for the return of peace to Mali.

The jihadist group, for its part, is reportedly seeking a "reliable political partner" in the CFR and Malian opposition forces. This alliance between the Malian opposition and JNIM could undermine the Bamako government. Assimi Goita, it seems, must be worried.