Inhabited by various ethnic groups, Mali has a varied and abundant traditional, oral (and sometimes written in Arabic letters) literature, which blends native elements with those of Islamic import. The traditional culture linked to the Mandingo language is rich in myths, legends, tales in verse and in rhythmic prose, destined to be sung and danced;… Read More »
Regions and landscapes With an area of 1.24 million km², Mali is almost four times the size of the Federal Republic of Germany. The country stretches from the Upper Guinea threshold in the south over the Niger Basin and the Sahel zone in the center of the country to the Sahara, which takes up about… Read More »
Transport of firewood with donkey With regard to the environmental situation, the main problem that should be emphasized is the increasing threat to agricultural production bases and natural vegetation, which affects large parts of the country. The expansion of arable land that can be observed in many places, increased soil erosion, increasing overgrazing, desertification and… Read More »
Population and settlement patterns The recent population development in Mali is characterized by rapid population growth. The country’s population was 20.2 million in 2019, whereas the population in 1998 was only 9.8 million. For 2018, the annual population growth was put at 3.1% (period 2010 to 2015: 3.0%). According to estimates by the 2014 Human… Read More »
In the car through difficult terrain The inland location and the insufficiently developed transport infrastructure have a very difficult effect on the country’s development. After the outbreak of serious domestic political crises in the Ivory Coast, the 650 km long Bamako – Dakar (Senegal) railway line had become an important foreign trade route for Mali.… Read More »
Significant historical epochs up to independence Mali has a long and eventful history. The Republic of Mali gave itself its name in memory of the West African empire of Mali under the Keita dynasty (heyday: 12th-14th centuries), which was founded by the Malinké and is regarded as the most important early medieval empire in West… Read More »
Military coup in March 2012 A military coup took place in March 2012. Military officials led by Captain Amadou Sanogo stormed the presidential palace, declared the government incompetent and deposed and temporarily imposed a night curfew. They also arrested some of the members of the government. However, President Touré escaped and his whereabouts remained unknown… Read More »
Subject areas Country overview & natural area The Republic of Mali is characterized by very different landscape zones and great ethnic diversity. History & State Mali can look back on a very long history marked by conflicts. Since 1991 the country has been considered a bearer of democratic hope on the African continent. However, the… Read More »
National symbols The focus of the text of the national anthem “Le Mali” is not only on building and defending the Malian nation, but also on realizing African unity. The colors of the national flag symbolize the hope (green), the gold (yellow) and the memory (red) of those who died in the struggle for national… Read More »
Mali is one of the largest territorial states in Africa. The population, which is characterized by great ethnic diversity, lives largely on agriculture, which is highly dependent on fluctuating rainfall. For a long time Mali was considered a model democratic country until a military coup and the war in northern Mali plunged the country into… Read More »
Given the very tense security situation in much of North and Central Mali presented the preparation and holding of presidential elections in 2018 a very significant challenge. At the two rounds of voting in July and August 2018 conducted election were 24 candidates registered (among them several former prime minister and only one woman). In… Read More »
Elections A total of eight candidates ran for the presidential election in 2007, including one woman. The presidential election campaign was dominated by the activities of various alliances and associations, the most important of which were the Alliance pour la Démocratie et le Progrès (ADP), the Mouvement Citoyen and the Front pour la Démocratie et… Read More »
In March 2012, after weeks of fighting and siege, the rebels succeeded in conquering Tessalit. With the conquest of the strategically important city and army garrison, they inflicted a heavy defeat on the army. The fighting strength of the rebels was greatly increased by the large number of Tuareg soldiers from the defeated Libyan army… Read More »
The solution to the conflict in North Mali, which has escalated again since the beginning of 2012, is of paramount importance for the future of Mali. The causes of the conflict are complex and include ethnic, political, economic and ecological factors. Before that, North Mali was last hit by a serious military conflict between 1991… Read More »
French military intervention and start of the MINUSMA mission Since January 2013, the conflict has experienced significant internationalization. After the Ansar Dine captured the central Malian city of Konna, President Traoré asked France for military support and declared a nationwide state of emergency. Shortly afterwards, French units on the side of the Malian army began… Read More »
An overview of the various conflicting parties can be found at ECFR. The joint patrols started in February 2017, the establishment of interim administrations for the five regions of the north and the return of a first army unit to Kidal in February 2020 can be regarded as cautiously hopeful signs. As part of the… Read More »
In May 2015, the CMA in Algiers gave its preliminary approval to the peace agreement. She initialed the agreement, but refused to sign it and asked for renegotiations. As a result, further talks took place in Algiers. The future balance of power in Ménaka played an important role here. Only after GATIA had withdrawn from… Read More »
Civil society Since 1991, the number of social associations, interest groups and grassroots groups in Mali has increased significantly. As early as 2004, 2058 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were officially registered in Mali, 251 of them foreign NGOs. At national and regional level there are NGO umbrella organizations such as the CCA-ONG, SECO-ONG and CAFO, which… Read More »
Human rights Until the beginning of 2012, Mali could be viewed as a state in which the state organs largely upheld human rights. As a result of the occupation of large parts of the country by Islamist rebels and the temporary escalation of the conflict in North Mali since the beginning of 2013, the human… Read More »
Mali Map In a difficult regional political environment, the Third Republic pursues a non-ideologically oriented, pragmatic foreign policy. The relations with Germany maintained within this framework can be described as good. Within the framework of these relations, Germany took part in dealing with the aftermath of the conflict in North Mali in the 1990’s and… Read More »
Agriculture Only 5.5% of the land area (value for 2014) is used for arable farming, another 25% can be used as pasture land. The country’s cultivation centers are in the southern parts of the country and along the Niger. In the south, cereals (millet, sorghum, maize), cotton and peanuts are mainly grown. Rice is primarily… Read More »
Mali Economy & Development Estimated GDP: $ 14.18 billion Per capita income (purchasing power parity): US $ 1174 Human Development Rank (HDI): 184 of 189 (2020) Proportion of poverty (less than $ 1.25 per day): 50.4% Distribution of income (Gini coefficient): 33.02 Economic Transformation (BTI): Rank 104 of 137 (2020) Economic structure and economic situation… Read More »
The mining sector has grown in importance over the past two decades. Gold mining in particular has been booming since the 1990’s. Large gold deposits were developed in the south and south-west of Mali, with foreign investors (especially from the Republic of South Africa) playing a key role. According to critics, foreign mining companies derive… Read More »
Informal sector The informal sector is particularly important in rapidly growing cities. However, he is faced with a number of serious problems. Income earned in the informal sector is often low, access to credit and means of production is severely restricted, and there is largely a lack of support strategies for this sector, which has… Read More »
Economic policy In economic policy, the government is promoting the private sector and liberalization, although this policy is not only approved but also rejected. The national budget is in deficit. Since 1988, but especially since the mid-1990’s, the Malian government has made significant efforts to stimulate the economy. The economic reform programs implemented under pressure… Read More »
According to the human development indicators of the United Nations Development Program, Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world (2020: 184th place out of 189 countries). The following figures are primarily taken from human development reports issued by the United Nations Development Program and UNICEF country reports. Topography of Mali Human development… Read More »
Mali Society Proportion of literate adults: 33.4% Major religions: Islam (approx. 90%), natural religions Urban population: 42% (2018) Life expectancy (female / male): 58/54 years (2016, estimated) Gender Inequality Index: Rank 157 of 160 (2017) Number of births: 6.01 / woman (estimated, 2017) Infant mortality: 100/1000 live births (2016, estimated) Regionalism, Ethnicity and Tribalism Due… Read More »
In Mali – as in many other African countries – women are largely disadvantaged compared to the male population. This applies both to access to education and employment as well as to the social and economic status of women. However, there are differences between the various ethnic groups. With the Bambara, the women’s sphere of… Read More »
School and vocational training The Malian population is characterized by a high proportion of young people. In 2018, 47.5% of the population were younger than 15 years, which is a major challenge for the school system in particular. Pupils at a primary school in Sikasso In the past two decades, Mali has made considerable progress… Read More »
Health care In the health care sector, Mali has a number of worrying indicators. Inadequate access to health facilities, poverty, a lack of sanitary facilities, widespread undernourishment and malnutrition as well as insufficient clean drinking water are often closely related problems, which result in an increased susceptibility of large parts of the population to serious… Read More »