Wayzata World Factbook 1994/World Factbook - 1994 Edition - Wayzata Technology (1994).iso/pc/text/txtfiles/mali.bkg

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#CARD:Mali:Background Notes
BACKGROUND NOTES:  MALI, APRIL 1993
PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
US DEPARTMENT OF  STATE
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APRIL 1993
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Official Name:  Republic of Mali
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PROFILE
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Geography
Area:  1,240,278 sq. km. (474,764 sq. mi); about the size of Texas and
California.  Cities: Capital--Bamako (pop. 880,000). Other cities--
Segou (85,000), Mopti (75,000), Kayes (50,000), Gao (40,000).
Terrain:  Savannah and desert.  Climate: Semitropical in the south; arid
in the north.
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People
Nationality:  Noun and adjective--Malian(s).  Population (1991 est.):
8.3  million.  Annual growth rate: 2. 9%.  Ethnic groups:  Mande
(Bambara or Bamana, Malinke, Sarakole) 50%, Peul 17%, Voltaic
12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 5%.  Religions:  Islam 90%,
indigenous 9%, Christian 1%.  Languages:  French (official) and
Bambara (spoken by about 80% of the population).  Education:
Attendance--21% (primary); 9% (secondary).  Literacy--15%.
Health:  Infant mortality rate--173/1,000.  Life expectancy--48 yrs.
Work force (3.5 million):  Agriculture--75%.  Services--13%.  Industry
and commerce--12%.
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Government
Type:  Republic.  Independence:  Sept. 22, 1960.  Constitution:
Approved by referendum January 12, 1991.
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Branches:  Executive--president (chief of state and commander-in-chief
of the armed forces), prime minister (head of government).  Legislative-
-unicameral National Assembly.  Judicial--Supreme Court with both
judicial and administrative powers.
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Political parties:  Mali is a multi-party democracy; 11 political parties are
represented in the National Assembly; others are active in local
government.   Suffrage:  Universal at 18.
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Administrative subdivisions:  8 regions and capital district.
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Central government budget (1992):  Revenues--$825 million.
Expenditures--$869 million; $44 million deficit.
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Flag:  Three vertical bands--green, yellow, and red.
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Economy
GDP (1991):  $2.8 billion.  Annual growth rate (1988-91):  3%.  Per
capita income (1991):  $300.  Annual skilled worker's salary: $1,680.
Average inflation rate (1991): 1.7%.
    Natural resources:  Gold, phosphate, kaolin, salt, and limestone
currently mined; deposits of bauxite, iron ore, manganese, lithium, and
uranium are known or suspected.
    Agriculture (40% of GDP):  Products--millet, sorghum, corn, rice,
livestock, sugar, cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), and tobacco.
    Industry (19% of GDP):  Types--food processing, textiles, cigarettes,
fish processing, metalworking, light manufacturing, plastics, and
beverage bottling.
    Trade (1991):  Exports--$430 million: cotton and cotton products,
animals, fish, tannery products, groundnuts, diamonds, and gold.
Major markets--France, Germany, and other European countries.
Imports--$610 million:  food, machinery and spare parts, vehicles,
petroleum products, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, textiles.  Major
suppliers--France, Cote d'Ivoire, Belgium, Luxembourg, the US ($26
million), Germany, and Japan.
    Official exchange rate (1991): Communaute Financiere Africaine 282
= US $1.  (###)
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PEOPLE
Mali's population consists of diverse sub-Saharan ethnic groups,
sharing similar historic, cultural, and religious traditions. Exceptions are
the Tuaregs and Maurs, desert nomads, related to the North African
Berbers.  The Tuaregs traditionally have opposed the central
government.  Starting in June 1990, armed attacks in the North by
Tuaregs seeking greater autonomy and by bandit groups led to clashes
with the military.  In April 1992, the government and most opposing
factions signed a pact to end the fighting and restore stability in the
north.  Its major aims are to allow greater autonomy to the north and
increase government resource allocation to what has been a traditionally
impoverished region.
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Historically, good inter-ethnic relations throughout the rest of the
country were facilitated by easy mobility on the country's vast
savannahs.  Each ethnic group was traditionally tied to a specific
occupation, all working within close proximity.  The Bambara,
Malinke, Sarakole, and Voltaic were farmers; the Peulh, Moor, and
Tuareg, herders; and the Bozo, fishers.  In recent years, this linkage has
shifted as ethnic groups seek diverse, non-traditional sources of income.
Along the Niger River between Timbuktu and Gao, the Songhai farm
and fish.  Until droughts in the mid-1970s, the Tuaregs were the
principal herders in this region.
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Although each ethnic group speaks a separate language, nearly 80% of
Malians communicate in Bambara, the common language of the
marketplace.  Malians enjoy a relative harmony rare in African states.
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HISTORY
Malians express great pride in their ancestry.  Mali is the cultural heir to
the succession of ancient African empires--Ghana, Malinke, and
Songhai--that occupied the West African savannah.  These empires
controlled Saharan trade and were in touch with Mediterranean and
Middle Eastern centers of civilization.
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The Ghana Empire, dominated by the Soninke people and centered in
the area along the Malian-Mauritanian frontier, was a powerful trading
state from about A.D. 700 to 1075.  The Malinke Kingdom of Mali had
its origins on the upper Niger River in the 11th century.  Expanding
rapidly in the 13th century under the leadership of Soundiata Keita, it
reached its height about 1325, when it conquered Timbuktu and Gao.
Thereafter, the kingdom began to decline, and by the 15th century, it
controlled only a small fraction of its former domain.
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The Songhai Empire expanded its power from its center in Gao during
the period 1465-1530.  At its peak under Askia Mohammad I, it
encompassed the Hausa states as far as Kano (in present-day Nigeria)
and much of the territory that had belonged to the Mali Empire in the
west.  It was destroyed by a Moroccan invasion in 1591.
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French military penetration of the Soudan (the French name for the area)
began around 1880.  Ten years later, the French made a concerted effort
to occupy the interior.  The timing and method of their advances were
determined by resident military governors.  A French civilian governor
of Soudan was appointed in 1893, but resistance to French control did
not end until 1898, when the Malinke warrior Samory Toure was
defeated after 7 years of war.  The French attempted to rule indirectly,
but in many areas they disregarded traditional authorities and governed
through appointed chiefs.  As part of the colony of Soudan, Mali was
administered with other French colonial territories as the Federation of
French West Africa.
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In early 1957, as a result of France's Basic Law (Loi Cadre), the
Territorial Assembly obtained extensive powers over internal affairs and
was permitted to form a cabinet with executive authority over matters
within the assembly's competence.  After the 1958 French constitutional
referendum, Soudan became a member of the French Community and
enjoyed complete internal autonomy.
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In January 1959, Soudan joined Senegal to form the Mali Federation,
which became fully independent within the French Community on June
20, 1960.  The federation collapsed on August 20, 1960, when Senegal
seceded.  On September 22, Soudan proclaimed itself the Republic of
Mali and withdrew from the French Community.
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President Modibo Keita, whose party, the Union Soudanaise, had
dominated preindependence politics, moved quickly to declare a single-
party state and to pursue a socialist policy based on extensive
nationalization.  A continuously deteriorating economy led to a decision
to rejoin the Franc Zone in 1967 and modify some of the economic
excesses.
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On November 19, 1968, a group of young officers staged a bloodless
coup and set up a 14-member Military Committee for National
Liberation (CMLN), with Lt. Moussa Traore as president.  The military
leaders renounced socialism and attempted to pursue economic reforms,
but for several years faced debilitating internal political struggles and the
disastrous Sahelian drought.
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A new constitution, approved in 1974, created a one-party state and was
designed to move Mali toward civilian rule.  However, the military
leaders remained in power.  In September 1976, a new political party
was established, the Democratic Union of the Malian People (UDPM),
based on the concept of non-ideological democratic centralism.  Single-
party presidential and legislative elections were held in June 1979, and
Gen. Moussa Traore received 99% of the votes.  His efforts at
consolidating the single-party government were challenged in 1980 by
student-led anti-government demonstrations, which were brutally put
down, and by three coup attempts.
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The political situation stabilized during 1981 and 1982, and remained
generally calm throughout the 1980s.  The UDPM began attracting
additional members as it demonstrated that it could counter an effective
voice against the excesses of local administrative authorities.  Shifting
its attention to Mali's economic difficulties, the government approved
plans for cereal marketing liberalization, reform in the state enterprise
system, new incentives to private enterprise, and an agreement with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF).
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However, by 1990, there was growing dissatisfaction with the demands
for austerity imposed by the IMF's economic reform programs and the
perception that the president and his close associates were not
themselves adhering to those demands.
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As in other African countries, demands for multi-party democracy
increased.  The Traore Government allowed some opening of the
system, including the establishment of an independent press and
independent political associations,  but insisted that Mali was not ready
for democracy.  In early 1991, student-led anti-government rioting
broke out again, but this time it was supported also by government
workers and others.  On March 26, 1991, after 4 days of intense anti-
government rioting, a group of 17 military officers arrested President
Traore and suspended the constitution.  Within days, these officers
joined with the Coordinating Committee of Democratic Associations to
form a predominantly civilian, 25-member ruling body, the Transitional
Committee for the Salvation of the People (CTSP).  The CTSP then
appointed a civilian-led government.  A national conference held in
August 1991 produced a draft constitution (approved in a referendum
January 12, 1992), a political parties charter, and an electoral code.
Political parties were allowed to form freely.  Between January and
April 1992, a president, National Assembly, and municipal councils
were elected.  On June 8, 1992, Alpha Oumar Konare, the candidate of
the Association for Democracy in Mali (ADEMA), was inaugurated as
the President of Mali's Third Republic.
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GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Under Mali's new constitution, the president is chief of state and
commander-in-chief of the armed forces.  Presidents are elected to 5-
year terms, with a limit of two terms.  The president appoints the prime
minister as head of government.  The president chairs the Council of
Ministers (the prime minister and 19 other minister, which adopts
proposals for laws submitted to the National Assembly for approval.
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The National Assembly is the sole legislative arm of the government.  It
currently consists of 116 members, but an additional 13 seats have been
allocated to Malians abroad, and 4 to Malian Tuaregs displaced by the
rebellion.  Representation is apportioned according to the population of
administrative districts.  Election is direct and by party list.  The term of
office is 5 years.  The Assembly meets for two regular sessions a year.
It debates and votes on legislation proposed either by one of its
members or by the government and has the right to question government
ministers about government actions and policies.  Eleven political
parties, aggregated into four parliamentary groups, are represented in
the Assembly. ADEMA (the president's party) currently holds the
majority; minority parties are represented in all committees and in the
Assembly directorate.
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Mali's new constitution provides for a multi-party democracy, with the
only restriction being a prohibition against parties based on ethnic,
religious, regional, or gender lines.  In addition to those political parties
represented in the National Assembly, others are active in municipal
councils.
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Administratively, Mali is divided into eight regions and the capital
district of Bamako, each under the authority of an appointed governor.
Each region consists of five to nine districts, or cercles, administered by
commandants.  Cercles are divided into arrondissements, which, in
turn, are divided into villages.  Plans for decentralization have begun
with the establishment of a number of elected municipal councils,
headed by elected mayors.  Further plans envision election of local
officials and the reduction of administrative control by the central
government.
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Mali's legal system is based on codes inherited at independence from
France.  New laws have been enacted to make the system conform to
Malian life, but French colonial laws not abrogated still have the force of
law.  The new constitution provides for the independence of the
judiciary.  However, the Ministry of Justice appoints judges and
supervises both law enforcement and judicial functions.  The Supreme
Court has both judicial and administrative powers.  Under the
constitution, there is a separate constitutional court and a high court of
justice with the power to try senior government officials in cases of
treason.
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Principal Government Officials
President--Alpha Oumar Konare
Prime Minister--Younoussi Toure Minister of External Relations--
Mohamed Alhousseyni Toure
Ambassador to the US--Siragatou Ibrahim Cisse
Ambassador to the United Nations--Nouhoum Samassekou
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Mali maintains an embassy in the United States at 2130 R Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20008 (tel. [phone]), and a permanent mission
to the United Nations at 111 E. 69th Street, New York, NY 10020.
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ECONOMY
Mali's per capita GDP of $300 places it among the world's 10 poorest
nations.  Its potential wealth lies in mining and the production of
agricultural commodities, livestock, and fish.  Agricultural activities
occupy 75% of Mali's labor force and provide 40% of the gross
domestic product (GDP).  Cotton and livestock make up 80-85% of
Mali's annual exports.  Small-scale traditional farming dominates the
agricultural sector, with subsistence farming (of cereals, primarily
sorghum, millet, and maize) on about 90% of the 1.4 million hectares
(3.4 million acres) under cultivation.
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The most productive agricultural area lies along the banks of the Niger
River between Bamako and Mopti and extends south to the borders of
Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso.  Average rainfall varies in this region
from 50 centimeters per year (20 in.) around Mopti to 140 centimeters
(55 in.) in the south near Bougouni.  This area is most important for the
production of cotton, millet, corn, vegetables, tobacco, and tree crops.
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Rice is grown extensively along the banks of the Niger between Segou
and Mopti, with the most important rice-producing area at the Office du
Niger, located north of Segou toward the Mauritanian border.  Using
water diverted from the Niger, the Office du Niger irrigates about
40,000 hectares of land for rice and sugarcane production.  About one-
third of Mali's paddy rice is produced at the Office du Niger.
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The Niger River also is an important source of fish, providing food for
riverine communities; the surplus--smoked, salted, and dried--is
exported.  Due to drought and diversion of river water for agriculture,
fish production has steadily declined since the early 1980s.
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Sorghum is planted extensively in the drier parts of the country and
along the banks of the Niger in eastern Mali, as well as in the lake beds
in the Niger delta region.  During the dry season, farmers near the town
of Dire have cultivated wheat on irrigated fields for hundreds of years.
Peanuts are grown throughout the country but are concentrated in the
area around Kita, west of Bamako.
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Mali's greatest resource is livestock, consisting of millions of cattle,
sheep, and goats.  Approximately 40% of Mali's herds were lost during
the great drought in 1972-74.  The level was gradually restored, but the
herds were again decimated in the 1983-85 drought.  The overall size of
Mali's herds is not expected to reach pre-drought levels in the north of
the country, where encroachment of the desert has forced many nomadic
herders to abandon pastoralism and turn instead to farming.  The largest
concentrations of cattle are in the areas north of Bamako and Segou
extending into the Niger delta, but herding activity is gradually shifting
southward, due to the effects of previous droughts.  Sheep, goats, and
camels are raised to the exclusion of cattle in the dry areas north and east
of Timbuktu.
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Until the late-1960s, Mali was self-sufficient in grains--millet, sorghum,
rice, and corn.  Diminished harvests during bad years, a growing
population, changing dietary habits, and, most importantly, policy
constraints on agricultural production resulted in grain deficits almost
every year from 1965 to 1986.  Production has rebounded since 1987,
however, thanks to agricultural policy reforms undertaken by the
government and supported by the Western donor nations. Liberalization
of producer prices and an open cereals market have created incentives to
production.  These reforms, combined with adequate rainfall, successful
integrated rural agriculture programs in the south, and improved
management of the Office du Niger, have led to surplus cereal
production over the past 5 years.
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Annual rainfall--amount and duration--is critical for Mali's agriculture.
Rainfall has increased since the 1983-85 drought. The 1991-92 cereal
harvest reached a record 2.5 million tons.
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Mining is a rapidly growing industry in Mali, with gold accounting for
some 80% of mining activity.  There are considerable proven reserves
of other minerals not presently exploited.  Gold has become Mali's third
largest export, after cotton and livestock.  The largest private investment
in gold mining in Mali is that of BHP Minerals, a multinational
American-Australian company.  An agreement was signed in 1992 for
an expansion of the company's mine at Syama in southern Mali.  With
this expansion, the total BHP investment will reach $140 million.
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During the colonial period, private capital investment was virtually
nonexistent, and public investment was devoted largely to the Office du
Niger irrigation scheme and to administrative expenses.  Following
independence, Mali built some light industries with the help of various
donors.  Manufacturing, consisting principally of processed agricultural
products, accounted for about 8% of the GDP in 1990.
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Economic Reform
With the encouragement of the major donors and the international
financial institutions, the Government of Mali initiated a series of
adjustment and stabilization programs in 1982.  Measures were
introduced to reduce budgetary deficits, public enterprise operating
losses, and public sector arrears.   Substantial progress was made in the
first few years of the adjustment program, but the pace of reform
slowed considerably in 1987 and required the intervention of donors to
avert a financial crisis.
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Under the economic reform program signed with the World Bank and
the IMF in 1988, the government has taken a number of steps to
liberalize the regulatory environment and thereby attract private
investment.  For example, applications for the establishment of business
enterprises now enjoy "one window" (guichet unique) processing
through a single ministry, allowing a business to be established in a
matter of days.  In addition, price controls on consumer goods have
been eliminated steadily; the last price control, on petroleum products,
was removed on July 1, 1992.  Import quotas were eliminated in 1988,
and export taxes were dropped in 1991.  The Commerce Code was
revised in 1991 to remove impediments to commercial activity.  Also in
1991, a system of commercial and administrative courts was established
to handle private trade complaints and claims against the government.
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Another major element of reform is the government's disinvestment
from the public enterprises which dominated commerce immediately
after independence.  Already 20 of the 50 state-supported enterprises
identified for disinvestment have been sold or liquidated, thus reducing
government expenditure on this element of the public sector.
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Foreign Aid
Mali is a major recipient of foreign aid from many sources, including
multilateral organizations (most significantly the World Bank), Western
nations (led by France and including the United States), China, and
Arab donors.  Before 1991, the former Soviet Union had been a major
source of economic and military aid, including construction of a cement
plant and the Kalana gold mine.  Currently, aid from Russia is restricted
mainly to training and provision of spare parts. Chinese aid and
Chinese-Malian joint venture companies have become more numerous in
the last 3 years.  The Chinese are major participants in the textile
industry and in large-scale construction projects, including a bridge
across the Niger, completed in April 1992.  Private voluntary
organizations (including several based in the US) are very active in
Mali.
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In 1991, US assistance to Mali reached $51 million.  This included $34
million in project and budget support through United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) programs.  USAID is Mali's fourth
largest bilateral donor after France, Italy, and Japan.  Mali also received
$5 million in PL 480 Title III (Food for Peace) commodities and $8
million in Title II commodities, primarily to meet food needs in the
North.  Other US programs funded in FY 1991 include democratization
($1.1 million), Peace Corps ($2.7 million), and the Ambassador's
Special Self-Help fund ($135,000).  In addition, $260,000 was
allocated to Mali under the International Military Education Training
(IMET) program.
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FOREIGN RELATIONS
Since independence in 1960, Malian governments have shifted from an
ideological commitment to socialism to a pragmatism that welcomes all
aid donors and encourages private investment.  The present
government, which assumed office in June 1992, professes its
commitment to economic reform, structural adjustment, free market
policies, and regional integration.  Mali's relations with the United
States and other Western nations are good.
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Mali is a member of the UN and many of its specialized agencies,
including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank;
International Labor Organization; International Telecommunications
Union; Universal Postal Union; Senegal River Valley Development
Organization (OMVS); Organization of African Unity (OAU);
Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC); Non-Aligned Movement
(NAM); Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS); West
African Monetary Union (WAMU); West African Economic Community
(CEAO); is an associate member of the European Community (EC);
African Development Bank (ADB); and INTELSAT.
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Mali is active in the OAU and ECOWAS.  It participates in the Liptako-
Gourma Authority, which seeks to develop the contiguous areas of
Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso; the Niger River Commission; and the
Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel
(CILSS).
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DEFENSE
Mali's armed forces number some 7,000 and are under the control of the
Minister of Defense.  The gendarmerie (paramilitary police) and local
police forces (under the Ministry of Territorial Administration) maintain
internal security.  Mali's army and air force until recently relied
primarily on the Soviet Union for materiel and training.  A few Malians
receive military training in the United States, France, and Germany.
Military expenditures total about 2% of GNP.
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US-MALIAN RELATIONS
The United States wishes to see Mali pursue its national goals in an
atmosphere of stability and freedom from outside interference.  The US
Agency for International Development and Peace Corps share the joint
goal of promoting sustainable economic development.  US programs are
active in the areas of economic policy reform, agriculture and natural
resources management, health and family planning, and education.
Specifically, the United States works with the Malian Government to:
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-- Achieve food security and help break the cyclical connection between
low agricultural production and poor health;
-- Support private-sector development through policy change and
institutional development; and
-- Improve management and planning.
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In addition, the United States helps address recurrent problems of
drought, disease, and insect infestations.
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Principal US Officials
Ambassador--Herbert Donald Gelber Counselor of the Embassy--Peggy
Blackford
Political Officer--David Alarid
Economic Officer--Rob Merrigan
Public Affairs Officer (USIS)--William G. Crowell
Director, AID Mission--Chuck Johnson Director, Peace Corps--Howard
Anderson
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The US embassy is located at Rue Mohamed V and Rue Rochester NY,
Bamako, tel. [phone], Fax:  [phone], telex No. 2448
MJ.  The mailing address is BP 34, Bamako.  Hours are 7:30-4:00
Monday through Friday.   (###)
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Travel Notes
Customs:  A visa is required for entry and may be obtained at any
Malian embassy abroad.  Yellow fever inoculations are required prior to
arrival.
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Health:  Suppressants for chloroquine-resistant malaria are strongly
recommended.  Emergency medical care is available in Bamako, but
medical facilities are limited.  Bring an adequate supply of personal
prescription medicines and health-care products, including insect
repellent and sun screen.  Tap water must be boiled and filtered.  Bottled
water is available.  Meats should be thoroughly cooked.  Inquire at the
US Public Health Service prior to departure from the United States for
latest health information and requirements.
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Climate and clothing:  Summer clothing is suitable for Bamako. Wash-
and-wear clothing and sturdy shoes are recommended.  Hats and
sunglasses should be worn outdoors to protect against over-exposure to
the sun.
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Telecommunications:  Long-distance telephone and telegraphic service is
limited.  Public-use telephone, telex, and FAX facilities are available.
Mali is on Greenwich Mean Time, 5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard
Time.
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Money and Banking:  Banks are open from 7:30-11:30 A.M. and from
1:15-3:30 P.M. Monday through Thursday and from 7:30-12:00 noon
on Fridays.  Personal checks and credit cards cannot be used for
banking transactions, though the major hotels in Bamako do accept
credit cards for payment of hotel bills.
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Transportation:  Privately owned automobiles are the principal means of
transportation in Bamako for Americans.  Bus service within Bamako
and to the suburbs was started in 1992.  Taxis are also readily available,
and vehicles (with drivers) may be chartered for long trips.  Roads
between major cities in Mali are paved.  Bamako is serviced by
international flights from Paris, Brussels, and from New York via
Dakar. One private airline (Malitas) offers regularly-scheduled internal
flights, and two charter airline companies operate in Mali. (###)
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Published by the United States Department of State -- Bureau of Public
Affairs  -- Office of  Public Communication -- Washington, DC -- April
1993 --  Managing Editor -- Peter A. Knecht -- Editor:  Anita Stockman
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Department of State Publication 8056
Background Notes Series -- This material is in the public domain and
may  be reprinted without permission; citation of this source is
appreciated.
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For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, US Government Printing
Office, Washington, DC  20402.  (###)
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