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République du MaliIndependence 22 September 1960
History The territory of today's Republic of Mali was home to great West African empires and several kingdoms, most of them Muslim: the Soninke Ghana Empire, the Maninka Mali Empire, the Berber Songhai Empire, the Bambara Kingdom of Ségou, the Peul Kingdom of Macina, the Toucouleur Kingdom and the Dyula Wassoulou Empire of Samori Touré (Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast). In 1904, Mali becomes a French colony called Upper Senegal and Niger, comprising parts of Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Niger. In 1920, the colony is renamed French Sudan, after the creation of Upper Volta (Burkina Faso). A strong surge of independence sentiment leads the colonial administration to schedule the first elections reserved for native candidates, in 1947. The leaders of the Malian political parties founded in 1946 stand out: Mamadou Konaté, Modibo Keita (Union soudanaise-Rassemblement démocratique) and Fily Dabo Sissoko (Parti progressiste soudanais). The Mali Federation, a political entity that combines Mali and Senegal (April 1959 to August 1960), is the prelude to the independence of both countries. Mali's first president Modibo Keita (1960-1968) imposes a socialist economy devoted to food self-sufficiency. It is abandoned by Moussa Traoré, president of the Comité militaire de libération nationale (CMLN), which becomes the Union démocratique du peuple malien (UDPM). Under Moussa Traoré, several opposition parties press for multipartyism, which ultimately leads to his dismissal and to the first democratic presidential election, won by Alpha Oumar Konaré (1992-2002). In 1993, long-term administrative decentralization begins, including the creation of autonomous 'collectivités territoriales' ('territorial communities'). Since 2002, the president of the Republic of Mali has been Amadou Toumani Touré. Cristiana Panella (RMCA) |
