Mali
Mali exhibits low-range performance in Representation, Rights and Rule of Law and high range performance in Participation. Over the past five years, it has experienced several advances in factors of Representation and Rights. It is among the world’s top 25 countries with respect to Participation, Civic Engagement and Civil Society but among the world’s bottom 25 countries with regard to multiple factors of Representation and Rule of Law as well as Basic Welfare and Electoral Participation. This dichotomy is borne out of a long history of civil society participation that stretches back to hunters’ associations; in recent years, civil society organizations have maintained an outsized role in Malian politics even as the country has suffered notable declines in several factors of Representation and Civil Liberties. These occurred as a result of the 2020 Malian coup d’état that installed a military junta in power. Mali is a low-income country, economically dependent on subsistence agriculture. It is one of the least developed countries in the world.
Mali’s history stretches back to the powerful Western African trading empire of the same name. At the time, it was among the wealthiest nations on Earth, and Timbuktu was a renowned center of Islamic learning. In the late 19th century, Mali became part of French West Africa, and in 1960 it gained its independence. While the country was initially a one-party state, by the early 1990s it had transitioned to multi-party democracy. Nevertheless, Malian political history has been marred by the frequency of coups and Tuareg and Arab groups’ sometimes violent calls for autonomy. In 2012, a group proclaiming the independence of “Azawad” rebelled for the fourth time, triggering the ongoing war. That same year, the Malian army overthrew the civilian government in Bamako because of anger over its tepid response to the uprising. Issues of security have remained the primary drivers of Malian politics, as conflict with northern groups affiliated with ISIS and Al-Qaeda has led to massacres and food insecurity. Continued instability and violence in rural areas led to two additional coups in August 2020 and May 2021.
A secondary matter of enduring concern for Malians is corruption, as graft is endemic throughout state institutions and is itself a core driver of the ongoing security challenges. The strength and prevalence of patronage and clientelist networks have incentivized the parties to collude, rather than compete for votes.
Issues of identity also create enduring cleavages within the body politic. In general, there is a weak relationship between ethnicity and vote choice as a result of the practice of “cousinage,” an informal institution that creates ties of allegiance between members of various ethnic groups. However, the Tuareg of the North do not participate in this system of cousinage, and differing geography and tradition have coupled with economic underdevelopment in this region. The country also ranks close to the global bottom in the Gender Inequality Index, as women face significant inequalities in education, governance, and economic matters. An estimated 85 per cent of Malian women have also faced gender-based violence. Finally, LGBTQIA+ people face among the most discriminatory attitudes in the world.
Looking ahead, it will be important to watch progress toward a return to civilian government, which could impact Representation and Rule of Law. The poor security situation will continue to dominate the political agenda, but progress there will be key to the state of all the Global State of Democracy Indices indicators. Key issues that have remained on the backburner, including addressing corruption and investing in development, could be better addressed once this transition occurs.
Monthly Event Reports
September 2023 | Increasing violence in north as government forces battle separatist groups
The level of violence in Mali increased significantly in September as separatist groups in the north stepped up their attempts to capture territory from government forces. As many as 150 people were killed in September, including 49 civilians in one attack on a riverboat. As a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force withdraws from the country (at the request of Mali’s military government) it leaves a security vacuum. It now appears that a peace deal between the government and ethnic Tuareg separatist groups that has been in effect since 2015 is likely to collapse. The UN has warned that a humanitarian crisis is likely if the current trends in violence continue. 33,000 people have already fled northern Mali.
July 2023 | New constitution ratified by referendum, giving new powers to president
The referendum on a new constitution that had originally been planned for March was held in July. The official results indicated that 97 per cent supported the ratification of the new constitution, with 38 per cent of registered voters participating. Turnout was hampered in some parts of the country by insecurity, and opposition parties claimed that the vote was irreparably marred by irregularities. The new constitution includes many of the fundamental rights that have become standard parts of constitutions across the continent in recent decades as well as some new protections against corruption and a new upper chamber. It also gives more prominence to local languages by demoting French. However, the constitution moves Mali from a semi-presidential to a presidential system, making the government responsible to the president rather than the legislature. The president will be limited to being re-elected only once. The first presidential election under this new constitution is scheduled for February 2024.
June 2023 | Opposition party dissolved after leader criticises Prime Minister
A court in Bamako ordered the dissolution of the Malian African Democratic Socialist Party (PSDA) in June. The government had initiated legal action against the PSDA after its leader, Ismaël Sacko sharply criticised Prime Minister Choguel Maïga during an interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI) in October 2022. RFI had itself been suspended from broadcasting in Mali in March 2022. In response to the judgement, Sacko said that the party would appeal the decision and would continue to operate.
May 2023 | UN reports on March 2022 atrocities
On 12 May, the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights released the report of an investigation into a mass killing alleged to have taken place during a military operation against insurgents in Mali in March 2022. The UN investigation found that more than 500 people were killed in the course of a five-day military operation in the village of Moura in central Mali. Most of those who were killed were ‘summarily executed’. Witnesses reported that the perpetrators included both Malian military personnel and foreign mercenaries. The atrocities during these five days also included rape and torture. The Malian government continues to deny that its personnel have committed atrocities, and its own investigation is ongoing.
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