A court in Mali has granted provisional freedom to 11 opposition figures who have spent five months in detention, after making calls for a return to civilian rule in the country.

Among those freed were former ministers and political leaders arrested in June for "plotting against the legal authorities" and holding an illegal meeting in Bamako.

Their release, announced on Thursday, comes without travel restrictions or judicial supervision, said one of those freed, who spoke to French news agency AFP on condition of anonymity.

A judicial source confirmed the court's decision - which is seen as significant given the junta's increasingly hardline stance on dissent.

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'Illegal' gathering

The opposition figures were detained during a meeting at one of their homes in the Malian capital, in defiance of a ban on political gatherings.

This followed a declaration they had signed in March, which criticised the military for failing to meet its deadline to transfer power to civilian authorities.

The document denounced what it called the "legal and institutional vacuum" caused by the junta's delay in holding elections and called for a presidential vote "as soon as possible".

The military, which came to power through coups in 2020 and 2021, introduced the ban on political activity in April 2023. It lifted this restriction in July, a month after the arrests.

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Election uncertainty

Mali has been grappling with a prolonged political, economic and security crisis, compounded by jihadist violence ongoing since 2012.

In June 2022, the junta promised to cede power to a civilian government by March 2024, following presidential elections set for February. However, it later postponed the elections indefinitely without providing a new timeline.

Critics of the military's grip on power say the continued delays undermine Mali's democratic transition.