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Mamoudou barry

b. 1954

Malian

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About Mamoudou barry

Born 1954. Mamoudou barry is a Malian imam and politician.

Mahmoud Dicko (; born around 1954 ) is a Malian Salafi imam from the Tombouctou Region who chaired the High Islamic Council of Mali (Haut Conseil islamique malien, HCIM) from January 2008 to April 2019.

A politico-religious leader considered in 2020 one of the most influential people in Mali, though he has never run for public office, Dicko served as mediator between the Malian government and jihadist groups in the north of the country. After supporting Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in the 2013 election, he started supporting the opposition in 2017.

On 7 September 2019, he started his own movement called Coordination of Movements, Associations and Sympathizers (Coordination des Mouvements, Associations et Sympathisants, CMAS). In 2019 and 2020, he called for several important demonstrations against President Keïta.

Biography Dicko is Fulani. A former Arabic professor, trained in Saudi Arabia Dicko became imam of the Salam mosque of Badalabougou in the early 1980s. A quietist Salafi, he considers himself a Sunni and not a Wahhabite. He was secretary general of the Malian Association for the Unity and Progress of Islam (Association Malienne pour l’Unité et la Progrès de l’Islam; AMUPI).

Dicko rejects jihad and the most violent rules of Sharia law. He also views Mali's pre-Islamic traditions as important. In 2012, during the Mali War, he took a stand in favor of dialogue with Islamists and met with Iyad Ag Ghali, the leader of Ansar Dine. During the 2013 Malian presidential election, he supported the candidacy of Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.

In November 2015, after a terrorist attack on a Bamako hotel, Dicko stated on VOA that the terrorists were sent by God to punish Mali for the promotion of homosexuality, which had been imported from the West. In December 2015, at the Grand Mosque of Bamako, he stated that jihadism was a creation of the West and of France with the goal of "recolonizing Mali". But Ansar Dine denied these statements on 2 November.

After having supported Keïta, Dicko moved to the opposition around the end of 2017. On 19 June 2020, he organized a demonstration of tens of thousands of faithful and supporters to ask the President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, to resign. On 10 July, during the third day of mobilization, clashes occurred, causing several deaths; leaders of the opposition coalition were arrested and then released.

On 18 August, during a coup d'état, Keïta and the Prime Minister, Boubou Cissé, were arrested by a military garrison. A few hours later, the President of the Republic, still detained by the army in a military camp, announced his resignation as well as the dissolution of the government and of the Parliament. On 19 August, Dicko announced that he was leaving politics. Nevertheless, he campaigned actively against the new constitution put to a referendum in June 2023.

On February 17, 2024, supporters of Imam Mahmoud Dicko created Synergy of Action for Mali, a coalition of parties and associations opposing the Malian junta.

On March 6, 2024, the Malian government dissolved the Association called “Coordination of Movements, Associations and Sympathizers of Imam Mahmoud Dicko” (CMAS). The coordinator of this association, Youssouf Daba Diawara, was arrested in July 2024.

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Important facts

Born
1954, Timbuktu Region
Birth century
Occupation
Imam, politician
Nationality

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Frequently asked questions

Who is Mamoudou barry?

Malian

When was Mamoudou barry born?

Mamoudou barry was born in 1954 in Timbuktu Region.

What is Mamoudou barry's occupation?

Mamoudou barry is an imam and politician.

What nationality is Mamoudou barry?

Mamoudou barry is Malian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Mamoudou barry

· Wikidata: Q16662094

· DBpedia: Mahmoud Dicko

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Mamoudou barry. https://biography.guide/mamoudou-barry/

MLA: "Mamoudou barry." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/mamoudou-barry/.

Chicago: "Mamoudou barry." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/mamoudou-barry/.

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