History & Politics
Mali’s early history
Rock paintings and inscriptions provide evidence of early man in Mali. And skeletal remains dating to around 5,000 BC have been found in the Sahara.
Terra-cotta statues have also been unearthed along the inland delta of the River Niger. Dating from around 800AD, they show communities have long settled in this fertile area.
Muslim traders began arriving in the region about this time. Gold, ivory, slaves and other goods travelled from Mali via trans-Saharan caravans to North Africa.
Powerful ancient kingdoms
The decline of Timbuktu
Following the Moroccans' invasion in the north, Timbuktu's scholars were exiled or executed and the importance of the town gradually declined.
The first major kingdom of the region was the Empire of Mali which flourished along the upper and middle Niger in the 14th/15th centuries. The Songhai Empire then became powerful in the 15th century. Timbuktu and Djenné were major centres of trading during this time, as well as renowned seats of Islamic scholarship.
Morocco invaded northern regions of Mali in 1591 and took control of large areas. The Moroccans were eventually driven out of Mali during the 1700s and 1800s.
The French era
By the middle of the nineteenth century (1855 onwards), the French began conquering the area, which came to form part of ‘French West Africa’. By 1946, it was known as the ‘French Sudan’, an overseas territory of the French Union.
Many Malian soldiers fought for the French during the World Wars and the Bambara units were noted for their bravery.
In 1958, the country was joined with Senegal to form the Mali Federation. However Senegal split from this union and in 1960 the independent Republic of Mali was born.
Modern-day Mali
As the country struggled economically, unpopular governments were overthrown by the military in 1968 and 1991. Civilian government was restored in 1992. Since then, democratic multiparty elections have been held every five years.
A man of the people
Mr Touré is sometimes called the “soldier of democracy” and is also known by his initials of ‘ATT’.
The current president is Amadou Toumani Touré (elected in 2002 and again in 2007). He is the army general who overthrew the military regime in 1991 and handed the country back to its people.
In recent years, the president’s skills have been tested. An uprising over rights by Tuareg groups has led to unrest in the north. And extremist Islamic groups (such as al-Qaeda) threaten to upset Mali’s traditional religious tolerance.
