Mali: Introduction

This introductory report provides a geographic, environmental, and political overview of Mali, detailing its climate challenges, history of military coups, and shifting international alliances, including its withdrawal from ECOWAS to form the Confederation of Sahel States.

• Mali is a low-income country characterized by a Sahelian climate and divided into three natural zones: the cultivated Sudanese zone in the south, the semi-arid Sahelian zone in the center, and the arid Saharan zone in the north. Environmental pressures include drought, desertification, and the overexploitation of natural resources, with 30% of the country covered by desert and 59% receiving less than 400 mm of annual rainfall.
• The Sahel region is facing severe climate change impacts, including rising temperatures, prolonged heatwaves, and variable rainfall. The IPCC noted that during the 1980s, the Sahel experienced the most substantial and sustained decline in rainfall recorded anywhere in the world within the period of instrumental measurements.
• Mali has a history of political instability marked by multiple military coups (1968, 1991, 2012, and 2020) and recurring rebellions by Tuareg communities in the north seeking autonomy, most notably the fifth rebellion started by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) in January 2012.
• Under its current military leadership, Mali has significantly altered its foreign relations by ending bilateral cooperation with France in 2022, requesting the withdrawal of MINUSMA in 2023, and moving closer to Russia. In January 2024, Mali decided to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), formally exiting on 29 January 2025, and joined Burkina Faso and Niger to form the Confederation of Sahel States (CSS) in August 2024.

APA

Aikins, E. R. (2026). Mali: Introduction. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=ML&topic=01-introduction

Chicago

Aikins, Enoch Randy. Mali: Introduction. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=ML&topic=01-introduction.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aikins |first1=Enoch Randy |title=Mali: Introduction |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=31 May 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=ML&topic=01-introduction |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aikins2026mali, author = {Aikins, Enoch Randy}, title = {{Mali: Introduction}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=ML&topic=01-introduction}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }