The civilian prime minister of Mali and his government have been sacked by the country's ruling junta, just days after expressing rare public criticism of the military regime.

At a rally on Saturday, Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga, 66, publicly warned of "serious challenges and the risk of going backwards" while the junta continues to postpone Mali's transition back to civilian rule.

Mali prime minister moves away from junta

The junta, led by General Assimi Goita, took power in the West African country after back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021.

It had promised a return to civilian rule by March 2024 but elections have been postponed indefinitely, with General Goita continuing as interim president.

Maiga, a former minister and presidential candidate, was appointed prime minister after the second coup. He came to be seen as the civilian face of the junta's strategic pivot away from former colonial power France and toward closer political and military ties with Russia.

But he began to distance himself from the junta in recent months, becoming more and more isolated and prompting months-long speculation that he could be dismissed.

"The duties of the prime minister and the members of the government are terminated," read a decree issued by General Goita and read out on state broadcaster ORTM.

Military coups across West Africa

Maiga's dismissal comes just months after Malian authorities arrested a dozen opposition politicians and activists. It also comes just one week after the arrest of another top politician for criticizing the military rulers of neighboring Burkina Faso.

Mali, Burkina Faso plus common neighbor Niger are all currently under military control after a series of coups across the Sahel region in central northern Africa.

Shaken by extremist uprisings and Islamist insurgencies, the juntas have cut ties with their traditional Western allies, ousting French and American troops and turning instead to Russia.

In Mali, the Russian private paramilitary Wagner Group has taken over responsibility for combatting the jihadists in the north of the country. But it reportedly suffered a significant blow earlier this year when an estimated 50 of its mercenaries were killed in an ambush.

mf/nm (AFP, AP)

Correction: An earlier version of this article mistakenly included a picture of Nigerian politician Ali Lamine Zeine.