Since gaining independence from France in 1960, Mali has faced significant governmental instability. The current crisis began in 2012 with a coup led by the Tuareg separatist group, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA). This group, initially allied with Islamist militant organizations in West Africa, sought to seize control of northern Mali and declare an independent state. Then-President Amadou Toumani Touré was overthrown, and the Tuareg and Islamist groups quickly expanded their control across the north. The alliance soon fractured when the Islamist factions attempted to impose strict Sharia law, leading to violent clashes between the groups. In response, the Malian government requested French military intervention in early 2013. Operation Serval successfully drove militants from key northern cities, but violence soon reignited. The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was created in 2013 to help stabilize the country, yet the following decade saw rising insecurity and extremist violence spreading throughout the Sahel region.
In May 2021, Mali experienced another coup — its second in less than a year — led by Colonel Assimi Goïta, marking the country’s fifth coup since independence. Goïta promised to install a new Prime Minister and transition back to civilian rule, but instead entrenched military control. The African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended Mali, imposing sanctions and demanding a timeline for democratic elections. The junta later expelled French troops in 2022 and invited Russian Wagner Group mercenaries, straining relations with Western partners. France officially withdrew its forces that year, ending nearly a decade of counterterrorism operations. The UN also announced in 2023 the full withdrawal of MINUSMA after repeated restrictions by the Malian government, marking the end of a ten-year peacekeeping mission. Since then, violence has increased, with jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS continuing to expand operations in the north and center. Ethnic militias and intercommunal conflict have further destabilized the country, while the government struggles to regain territorial control. As of 2025, more than 8 million Malians require humanitarian assistance, with hundreds of thousands displaced.
Peace attempts:
The Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali was signed in June 2015 between the Malian government, rebel coalitions, and pro-government armed groups, under mediation by Algeria and with the support of MINUSMA, ECOWAS, the African Union, and the European Union. It aimed to decentralize governance, reintegrate rebel fighters into the national army, and stimulate economic recovery in the north. However, its implementation has been slow and largely ineffective, hindered by political instability and recurring violence.
In 2017, Mali joined Niger, Mauritania, Chad, and Burkina Faso in forming the G5 Sahel Joint Force, a regional counterterrorism alliance intended to coordinate operations against extremist groups. Yet internal rivalries and insufficient funding have limited its success, and by 2023 Mali formally withdrew from both the G5 Sahel and ECOWAS, further isolating itself diplomatically. The “National Conference on Reform,” held in 2017 to foster reconciliation and political dialogue, also failed to produce tangible results due to poor preparation and lack of follow-through.
The UN Security Council repeatedly extended MINUSMA’s mandate until June 2023, when it voted to end the mission following Mali’s demand for withdrawal. The drawdown concluded in late 2023, leaving a security vacuum now partially filled by the Wagner Group and local militias. Despite ongoing diplomatic outreach by Algeria and regional mediators, Mali’s military government has shown little willingness to compromise or implement the 2015 peace accord. As of 2025, Mali remains deeply unstable, with jihadist violence intensifying, civilians caught between armed factions, and hopes for peace and democratic restoration increasingly uncertain.
