Malian authorities have arrested and imprisoned at least nine supporters of Imam Mahmoud Dicko for illegal gathering in Bamako.

The group, accused of demonstrating on February 14 to welcome the exiled religious leader, includes an elderly man who has since been released.

Dicko, a vocal critic of the ruling junta, has denounced the country’s political transition as directionless and unending.

His dissolved organization, CMAS, is part of opposition coalitions pushing for civilian-led governance and presidential elections.