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 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 and democratic multiparty elections were then held every five years.

However, in 2012, an uprising by Tuareg groups in the north led to unrest in the army. The government of Amadou Toumani Touré (elected in 2002 and 2007) was overthrown by another military coup. It is hoped that democracy will once again return.