Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ation are www.maliactu.net (local news in French) and blogs like Bridges from Bamako ( ht-
tp://bridgesfrombamako.com ) .
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History
Early Empires
Rock art in the Sahara suggests that northern Mali has been inhabited since 10,000 BC,
when the Sahara was fertile and rich in wildlife. By 300 BC, large organised settlements
had developed, most notably near Djenné, one of West Africa's oldest cities. By the 6th
century AD, the lucrative trans-Saharan trade in gold, salt and slaves had begun, facilitat-
ing the rise of West Africa's great empires.
From the 8th to the 16th centuries, Mali formed the centrepiece of the great empires of
West African antiquity, most notably the empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhaï. The arrival
of European ships along the West African coast from the 15th century, however, broke the
monopoly on power of the Sahel kingdoms.
The French arrived in Mali during the mid-19th century. Throughout the French coloni-
al era, Mali was the scene of a handful of major infrastructure projects, including the
1200km Dakar-Bamako train line, which was built with forced labour to enable the ex-
port of cheap cash crops, such as rice and cotton. But Mali remained the poor neighbour
of Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire.
Independence
Mali became independent in 1960 (for a few months it was federated with Senegal), under
the one-party rule of Mali's first president, Modibo Keïta. In 1968, Keïta was overthrown
by army officers led by Moussa Traoré.
During the Cold War, Mali was firmly in the Soviet camp; food shortages were con-
stant, especially during the devastating droughts of 1968-74 and 1980-85. One bright
spot came in 1987 when Mali produced its first grain surplus.
The Tuareg rebellion began in 1990, and the following year a peaceful prodemocracy
demonstration drew machine-gun fire from security forces. Three days of rioting fol-
lowed, during which 150 people were killed. The unrest finally provoked the army, led by
General Amadou Toumani Touré (General ATT as he was known), to seize control.
 
 
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