Mali

République du Mali
Flag	Coat of Arms
Capital	Bamako
Government	Semi-presidential republic
Language	Bambara, Soninke language, Hassaniya, Bobo, Dogon, Minianka, others (official)
President	[[Assimi Goïta (Seized Power through a coup d'etat)]]
Prime minister	Choguel Kokalla Maïga
Area	474,764 sq. mi.
Population	20,250,000 (2020)
GDP 2008	$15.045 billion
GDP per capita	$1,126
Currency	West African CFA franc

The Republic of Mali is a largely-Muslim country located in West Africa. The legendary city of Timbuktu (or Tombouktou) was once a center of trade and education. Ibn Battuta, a Muslim traveler who toured the Islamic regions of the world around 1352, wrote of his admiration of Mali. It thrived under strong rulers and the very active gold-salt trade across the Sahara. Trade was based on leopard skins, slaves, pepper, ivory, bronze, brass and copper.

The modern state of Mali - known as French Sudan until the country gained independence from France in 1960 - took its name from the former Kingdom. The capital city is Bamako.

Geography

Mali has three distinct natural regions. The southern region consists of a tropical savannah, while the central region, or Sahel, is semi-arid; both of these regions have the Niger River flowing through towards the west. The remaining region, the Sahara Desert, occupies more than half the country to the north.

• Area: 1,240,278 km². (474,764 sq. mi.); about the size of Texas and California combined.
• Cities: Capital—Bamako (pop. 1 million). Other cities—Segou (200,000), Sikasso (120,000), Mopti (90,000), Gao (65,000), Kayes (65,000), Timbuktu (38,000).
• Terrain: Savannah and desert.
• Climate: Semitropical in the south; arid in the north.

People

Mali's population consists of diverse Sub-Saharan ethnic groups, sharing similar historic, cultural, and religious traditions. Exceptions are the Tuaregs and Maurs, desert nomads, related to the North African Berbers. The Tuaregs traditionally have opposed the central government. Starting in June 1990, armed attacks in the north by Tuaregs seeking greater autonomy led to clashes with the military. In April 1992, the government and most opposing factions signed a pact to end the fighting and restore stability in the north. Its major aims are to allow greater autonomy to the north and increase government resource allocation to what has been a traditionally impoverished region. The peace agreement was celebrated in 1996 in Timbuktu during an official and highly publicized ceremony called Flamme de la Paix ("peace flame").

Historically, good inter-ethnic relations throughout the rest of the country were facilitated by easy mobility on the Niger River and across the country's vast savannahs. Each ethnic group was traditionally tied to a specific occupation, all working within close proximity. The Bambara, Malinke, and Dogon are farmers; the Fulani, Maur, and Tuareg are herders; the Soninkés or Saracolés are traders; while the Bozo are fishers. In recent years, this linkage has shifted as ethnic groups seek diverse, nontraditional sources of income.

Although each ethnic group speaks a separate language, nearly 80% of Malians communicate in Bambara, the common language of the marketplace. Malians enjoy a relative harmony rare in African states.

• Nationality: Noun and adjective—Malian(s).
• Population (2007 est.): 11,995,402.
• Annual growth rate: 2.4%.
• Ethnic groups: Manding (Bambara or Bamana, Malinke) 52%, Fulani 11%, Saracolé 7%, Mianka 4%, Songhai 7%, Tuareg and Maur 5%, other 14%.
• Religions: Islam 90%, indigenous 6%, Christian 4%.
• Languages: French (official) and Bambara (spoken by about 80% of the population).
• Education: Attendance—64.3% (primary). Literacy—31%.
• Health: Infant mortality rate—121/1,000. Life expectancy—47 yrs.
• Work force (4 million): Agriculture—70%; services—15%; industry and commerce—15%.

Government and Political Conditions

Under Mali's 1992 constitution, the president is chief of state and commander in chief of the armed forces. The president is elected to a 5-year term, with a limit of two terms. The president appoints the prime minister as head of government. The president chairs the Council of Ministers (the prime minister and currently 28 other ministers, including 5 women), which adopts proposals for laws submitted to the National Assembly for approval.

The National Assembly is the sole legislative arm of the government. It currently consists of 147 members. Representation is apportioned according to the population of administrative districts. Election is direct and by party or independent list. The term of office is 5 years. The Assembly meets for two regular sessions each year. It debates and votes on legislation proposed either by one of its members or by the government and has the right to question government ministers about government actions and policies. Sixteen political parties, aggregated into five parliamentary groups, are represented in the Assembly. In legislative elections held in July 2007, the ADEMA Party regained the majority it lost in 2002, winning 51 seats, ahead of another party aligned with President Toure, the Union for Republic and Democracy (URD), which won 36. The former majority party at the National Assembly, the Rassemblement Pour le Mali (RPM) of former Prime Minister Ibrahim B. Keita, won 11 seats. Other than the RPM, President Toure has the support of most of the political parties represented in the National Assembly.

Mali's constitution provides for a multiparty democracy, with the only restriction being a prohibition against parties based on ethnic, religious, regional, or gender lines. In addition to those political parties represented in the National Assembly, others are active in municipal councils.

Administratively, Mali is divided into eight regions and the capital district of Bamako, each under the authority of an appointed governor. Each region consists of five to nine districts (or cercles), administered by prefets (commandants). Cercles are divided into communes, which, in turn, are divided into villages or quarters. The decentralization process has started with the establishment of 702 elected municipal councils, headed by elected mayors. Election of local officials took place; greater local control over finances and the reduction of administrative control by the central government are being implemented.

Mali's legal system is based on codes inherited at independence from France. New laws have been enacted to make the system conform to Malian life, but French colonial laws not abrogated still have the force of law. The constitution provides for the independence of the judiciary. However, the Ministry of Justice appoints judges and supervises both law enforcement and judicial functions. The Supreme Court has both judicial and administrative powers. Under the constitution, there is a separate constitutional court and a high court of justice with the power to try senior government officials in cases of treason.

Principal Government Officials

• President—Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
• Prime Minister—Modibo Keita
• Minister of Foreign Affairs—Moctar Ouane
• Minister of Economy and Finance—Sanoussi Toure
• Minister of Industry, Investment, and Commerce—Ahmadou Abdoulaye Diallo
• Minister of Defense—Natie Plea

Foreign Relations

Since independence in 1960, Malian governments have shifted from an ideological commitment to socialism and a policy alignment with communist states to pragmatism that judges issues and their merits, welcomes assistance from all sources, and encourages private investment. The present government, which assumed office in 2002, is committed to democracy, economic reform, free market policies, regional integration, and international cooperation on peacekeeping and counter-terrorism activities.

Mali is a member of the UN and many of its specialized agencies, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank; the International Labor Organization (ILO); the International Telecommunications Union (ITU); and the Universal Postal Union (UPU). It also belongs to the African Union (AU); the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC); the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM); and the African Development Bank (ADB). Mali also is an associate member of the European Union (EU).

Mali is active in regional organizations. It participates in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic Monetary Union (UEMOA) for regional economic integration; Liptako-Gourma Authority, which seeks to develop the contiguous areas of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso; the Niger River Commission; the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS); and the Senegal River Valley Development Organization (OMVS).

France

On October 18, 2022 Reuters reported that Mali vowed to defend its territorial sovereignty from French NATO invaders.

Defense

Mali's armed forces number some 7,000 and are under the control of the Minister of Defense and Veterans, as is the National Guard. The Gendarmerie and local police forces are under the Ministry of Security and Civil Protection. The police and gendarmes share responsibility for internal security; the police are in charge of urban areas only. In the 1960s and 1970s, Mali's Army and Air Force relied primarily on the Soviet Union for materiel and training. A few Malians receive military training in the United States, France, and Germany. Under the Pan Sahel Initiative, more troops got training and equipment in 2003-2004 and in subsequent years. Military expenditures total about 13% of the national budget.

Civil War 2012-Present

2026 Jihadists Are on the Brink of an African Caliphate. Islamists in Mali have routed Kremlin-backed forces hired by the government. Confounding efforts by the West to uproot al Qaeda and its offshoots.Islamist groups tightens blockade on Mali capital.
2017 June – Al-Qaeda-aligned group Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen claims responsibility for an attack on an hotel popular with Westerners east of Bamako.
2014 France announces 60% reduction in troops deployed in Mali to about a thousand. President Keita appoints former rival Moussa Mara prime minister in a bid to curb instability in the north. Fragile truce with Tuareg MNLA separatists breaks down in north.
2013 June – Government signs peace deal with Tuareg nationalist rebels to pave way for elections. Rebels agree to hand over northern town of Kidal that they captured
2012 Islamist groups involved in the Mali civil war include Ansar Dine, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM),fighting to impose their interpretation of Islamic law The army got the most control under the cities back. On September 4, 2014 Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta was elected as president of Mali.

References

Copyright Details
License:	This work is in the Public Domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the U.S. Code
Source:	File available from the United States Federal Government [1].