Mali
GANG INFORMATION
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Republic of Mali
Geography
Area: 1,240,278 sq. km. (474,764 sq. mi.); about the size of Texas
and California combined.
Cities: Capital--Bamako (pop. 1 million). Other cities--Segou
(200,000), Sikasso (120,000), Mopti (90,000), Gao (65,000), Kayes
(65,000), Timbuktu (38,000).
Terrain: Savannah and desert.
Climate: Semitropical in the south; arid in the north.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Malian(s).
Population (2002 est.): 10.5 million.
Annual growth rate: 2.2%.
Ethnic groups: Manding (Bambara or Bamana, Malinke) 52%, Fulani
11%, Saracolé 7%, Mianka 4%, Songhai 7%, Tuareg and Maur
5%, other 14%.
Religions: Islam 90%, indigenous 6%, Christian 4%.
Languages: French (official) and Bambara (spoken by about 80%
of the population).
Education: Attendance--64.3% (primary). Literacy--31%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--121/1,000. Life expectancy--47
yrs.
Work force (4 million): Agriculture--70%; services--15%; industry
and commerce--15%.
Government
Type: Republic.
Independence: September 22, 1960.
Constitution: Approved by referendum January 12, 1992.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state and commander in
chief of the armed forces), prime minister (head of government).
Legislative--National Assembly is the sole legislative arm of
the government; currently consisting of 147 members. Judicial--Supreme
Court with both judicial and administrative powers.
Political parties: Mali is a multiparty democracy. Sixteen political
parties are represented in the National Assembly; others are active
in local government.
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
Administrative subdivisions: Eight regions and capital district.
Central government budget (2003): Revenues--$1.144 billion; expenditures--$1.285
billion; $141 million deficit.
Economy
GDP (2003): $4.79 billion.
Avg. annual growth rate (2003-04): 5.4%.
Per capita income (2003): $250.
Annual skilled worker's salary: $1,560.
Avg. inflation rate (2003): -1.3%.
Natural resources: Gold, phosphate, kaolin, salt, and limestone
currently mined; deposits of bauxite, iron ore, manganese, lithium,
and uranium are known or suspected.
Agriculture, livestock, and fishery (36% of GDP): Products--millet,
sorghum, corn, rice, livestock, sugar, cotton, groundnuts (peanuts),
and tobacco.
Industry (22% of GDP): Types--food processing, textiles, cigarettes,
fish processing, metalworking, light manufacturing, plastics,
and beverage bottling.
Trade (2003): Exports--$1.06 billion: gold, cotton and cotton
products, animals, fish, tannery products, groundnuts, and diamonds.
Major markets--France, Switzerland, Italy, Thailand, Cote d'Ivoire,
and Algeria. Imports--$951 million: food, machinery and spare
parts, vehicles, petroleum products, chemicals and pharmaceuticals,
textiles. Major suppliers--France, Cote d'Ivoire, Belgium, Luxembourg,
U.S. ($31.5 million), Germany, and Japan.
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 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. The peace agreement
was celebrated in 1996 in Timbuktu during an official and highly
publicized ceremony called Flamme de la Paix--peace flame.
Historically, good inter-ethnic relations throughout the rest
of the country were facilitated by easy mobility on the Niger
River and across the country's vast savannahs. Each ethnic group
was traditionally tied to a specific occupation, all working within
close proximity. The Bambara, Malinke, and Dogon are farmers;
the Fulani, Maur, and Tuareg are herders; the Soninkés
or Saracolés are traders; while the Bozo are fishers. In
recent years, this linkage has shifted as ethnic groups seek diverse,
nontraditional sources of income.
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.
HISTORY
Malians express great pride in their ancestry. Mali is the cultural
heir to the succession of ancient African empires--Ghana, Malinké,
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.
The Ghana Empire, dominated by the Soninke or Saracolé
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.
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. Timbuktu was a center of commerce and of the Islamic faith
throughout this period, and priceless manuscripts from this epoch
are still preserved in Timbuktu. The United States and other donors
are making efforts to help preserve these priceless manuscripts
as part of Mali's cultural heritage.
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 resident
military governors determined methods of their advances. A French
civilian governor of Soudan was appointed in 1893, but resistance
to French control did not end until 1898, when the Malinké
warrior Samory Touré 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 the colony of French Soudan, Mali was administered
with other French colonial territories as the Federation of French
West Africa.
In 1956, with the passing of France's Fundamental 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, the Republique Soudanaise became
a member of the French Community and enjoyed complete internal
autonomy.
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.
President Modibo Keita--whose party Union Soudanaise du Rassemblement
Democratique Africain (US/RDA) 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.
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
attempted to pursue economic reforms but for several years faced
debilitating internal political struggles and the disastrous Sahelian
drought.
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 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.
The political situation stabilized during 1981 and 1982 and remained
generally calm throughout the 1980s. The UDPM spread its structure
to cercles and arrondissements (administrative subdivisions) across
the land. Shifting its attention to Mali's economic difficulties,
the government approved plans for cereal marketing liberalization,
reform in the state enterprise system, and new incentives to private
enterprise, and worked out a new structural adjustment agreement
with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 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.
As in other African countries, demands for multiparty 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 government workers and others supported
it. 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 charter for political parties, 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 Alliance for Democracy in Mali (ADEMA), was inaugurated
as the President of Mali's Third Republic.
In 1997, attempts to renew national institutions through democratic
elections ran into administrative difficulties, resulting in a
court-ordered annulment of the legislative elections held in April
1997. The exercise, nonetheless, demonstrated the overwhelming
strength of President Konare's ADEMA Party, causing some other
historic parties to boycott subsequent elections. President Konare
won the presidential election against scant opposition on May
11. In the two-round legislative elections conducted on July 21
and August 3, 1997, ADEMA secured more than 80% of the National
Assembly seats.
General elections were organized in June and July 2002. President
Konare did not seek reelection since he was serving his second
and last term as required by the constitution. All political parties
participated in the elections. In preparation for the elections,
the government completed a new voter's list after a general census
was administered a few months earlier with the support of all
political parties. Retired General Amadou Toumani Toure, former
head of state during Mali's transition (1991-92) became the country's
second democratically elected President as an independent candidate.
President Toure was inaugurated on June 8, 2002. Toure is expected
to run for reelection in the 2007 general elections.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Under Mali's 1992 constitution, the president is chief of state
and commander in chief of the armed forces. The president is elected
to a 5-year term, 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 currently 28
other ministers, including 5 women), which adopts proposals for
laws submitted to the National Assembly for approval.
The National Assembly is the sole legislative arm of the government.
It currently consists of 147 members. Representation is apportioned
according to the population of administrative districts. Election
is direct and by party or independent list. The term of office
is 5 years. The Assembly meets for two regular sessions each 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. Sixteen
political parties, aggregated into five parliamentary groups,
are represented in the Assembly. The former ruling ADEMA Party
lost the majority at the National Assembly in favor of its rival
Rassemblement Pour le Mali (RPM) of former Prime Minister Ibrahim
B. Keita and its Espoir 2002 coalition. President Toure has the
support of all political parties represented in the National Assembly.
Mali's constitution provides for a multiparty 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.
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 prefets (commandants). Cercles are divided into
communes, which, in turn, are divided into villages or quarters.
The decentralization process has started with the establishment
of 702 elected municipal councils, headed by elected mayors. Election
of local officials took place; greater local control over finances
and the reduction of administrative control by the central government
are being implemented.
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 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.
Principal Government Officials
President--Amadou Toumani Touré
Prime Minister--Ousmane Issoufi Maiga
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation--Moctar
Ouane
Minister of Industry and Commerce--Choguel Kokala Maiga
Minister of Economy and Finance--Abou-Bakar Traoré
Ambassador to the U.S.--Abdoulaye Diop
Ambassador to the United Nations--Cheick Sidi Diarra
Mali maintains an embassy in the United States at 2130 R Street
NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-332-2249), and a permanent
mission to the United Nations at 111 E. 69th Street, New York,
NY 10020 (212-734-4150).
ECONOMY
Mali's per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of $250 (2002)
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 70% of Mali's
labor force and provide 36% of the GDP. Cotton, gold, and livestock
made up 80%-90% of total export earnings in Mali in 2003. 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. The high cost of petroleum products, the fall in
the world market price for cotton and gold, and corresponding
loss of customs revenues put pressure on the economy and led the
government to be very tight on cash disbursements in recent years.
In addition, the 2002-03 closure of the main import/export route
to the port of Abidjan increased the pressure on the fragile Malian
economy. Nonetheless, a doubling of cotton production and double-digit
increases in cereal and gold production boosted real GDP growth
from 3.5% in 2001 to nearly 7.4% in 2003.
The most productive agricultural area lies along the banks of
the Niger River between Bamako and Mopti and extends south to
the borders of Guinea, 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
Sikasso. This area is most important for the production of cotton,
rice, millet, corn, vegetables, tobacco, and tree crops.
Rice is grown extensively along the banks of the Niger between
Ségou and Mopti, with the most important rice-producing
area at the Office du Niger, located north of Ségou toward
the Mauritanian border. Using water diverted from the Niger, the
Office du Niger irrigates about 80,000 hectares of land for rice
and sugarcane production. About one-third of Mali's paddy rice
is produced at the Office du Niger.
The Niger River also is an important source of fish, providing
food for riverside 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. The government has started plans to develop fish
breeding, mainly in the Niger delta, in order to boost fish production.
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 lakebeds in the Niger delta region. During the dry season,
farmers near the town of Diré 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.
Mali's resource in livestock consists 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 pastoral activities
and turn instead to farming. The largest concentrations of cattle
are in the areas north of Bamako and Ségou extending into
the Niger delta, but herding activity is gradually shifting southward,
due to the effects of previous droughts.
With the technical support of U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID)-funded projects, private cooperatives developed a regional
border market in the southern city of Sikasso. Livestock professionals
contributed to a steady increase in cattle exports. Sheep, goats,
and camels are raised to the exclusion of cattle in the dry areas
north and east of Timbuktu.
Until the mid-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. Except
for 2002, annual rainfall, critical for Mali's agriculture, has
been at or above average since 1993. Cereal production, including
rice, grew annually until 2002 when the country experienced a
food production deficit, alleviated by massive contributions to
food security stocks. Although final figures are not yet available,
the government anticipated a record harvest for 2003 due to abundant
rainfall. Mali’s cotton production has grown from 500,000
metric tons in 1997 to a record 620,000 tons in 2003-2004, making
Mali the largest cotton producer on the African continent. Production
is expected to retreat slightly to 600,000 tons in 2004-2005.
Mining is still a growing industry in Mali, with gold accounting
for some 80% of mining activity. There are considerable proven
reserves of other minerals not currently exploited. In 2002, gold
briefly became Mali's number one export, before cotton and livestock.
There are two large private investments in gold mining: Anglo-American
($250 million) and Randgold ($140 million), both multinational
South African companies located respectively in the western and
southern part of the country.
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 22% of
the GDP in 2003.
Tourism remains a small part of Mali's economy; it is a sector
with significant potential. Mali's national parks, its ancient
cities and archeological sites, Niger River cruises, cultural
festivals, and magnificent desert landscapes are major attractions.
Mali also is home to a rare herd of elephants that continues its
unique annual migration to the edges of the Sahara Desert in the
northern part of the country.
Economic Reforms
With the encouragement of the major donors and international financial
institutions, the Government of Mali initiated a series of adjustment
and stabilization programs beginning in 1982. Measures were introduced
to reduce budgetary deficits, public enterprise operating losses,
and public sector arrears.
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 progressively eliminated; 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. The investment and the mining codes also
were revised in the early 1990s in order to present a good investment
climate. Also in 1991, a system of commercial and administrative
courts was established to handle private trade complaints and
claims against the government.
During the period 1988-96, the government implemented a large
reform program of the public enterprise sector, including the
privatization of 16 enterprises, the partial privatization of
12, and the liquidation of 20; others were restructured. Among
the 20 enterprises left, eight were privatized, including the
large Energie du Mali electricity and water company and the textile
company Industry Textile du Mali (ITEMA). The government completed
the concession of the railroad company in 2003, and the cottonseed
oil factory, Huilerie Cotonniere du Mali (Huicoma), in 2005. Another
large company--Societé de Telecommunications du Mali--is
scheduled for privatization, but the process has faced some delays
to date.
In 1999, the executive board of the IMF approved a 3-year loan
for Mali under the enhanced structural adjustment facility (ESAF)
to support the government's economic reform program, for a total
of $63 million. For the third ESAF covering the period April 1999-March
2002, the IMF board of directors urged the Malian authorities
to persevere with their policy of fiscal consolidation, including
the modernizing of the tax system, and to deepen and accelerate
structural reforms and rehabilitate the judicial system. Mali
was selected in 1999 as an eligible country to the Highly Indebted
Poor Countries (HIPC) program and has been benefiting from the
program since FY 2000 as a budgetary support. In April 2003, Mali
reached the HIPC completion point with the result that former
debt payments will now be used to fund poverty alleviation programs.
Total debt relief under the original and the enhanced HIPC initiative
will amount to about $539 million, representing a 37% reduction.
As one of 14 African nations that have reached the HIPC completion
point, Mali will benefit from multilateral debt forgiveness under
the G8 Gleneagles debt forgiveness agreement.
Foreign Aid
Mali is a major recipient of foreign aid from many sources, including
multilateral organizations (most significantly the World Bank,
the African Development Bank, and Arab Funds), and bilateral programs
funded by the European Union, France, United States, Canada, Netherlands,
and Germany. 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 remains high, and Chinese-Malian joint venture companies
became more numerous during the period 1999-2002, leading to the
opening of a Chinese investment center. The Chinese are major
participants in the textile industry and in largescale construction
projects, including a bridge across the Niger, a conference center,
an expressway in Bamako, and a new national stadium in Bamako
and four regional stadiums completed for the Africa Cup competition
in 2002.
In 2003, U.S. assistance reached $44.2 million: This included
$40.7 million in sector support made available through U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID) programs; a Peace Corps
program budget of $2.8 million for 190 volunteers serving in Mali;
Self-Help and the Democracy Funds of $153,000; and State Department
Public Diplomacy Funds of $300,000 for educational opportunities
and local projects. Military assistance includes $100,000 for
the International Military Education Training (IMET) program,
and $200,000 for the Regional Defense Counter Terrorism Fellowship
(RDCTF) program. The Department of State dedicated $1.05 million
to train militaries of the Pan Sahel countries, including Mali.
Mali was granted eligibility for funding from the Millennium Challenge
Account (MCA) in 2004 and 2005. The Malian Government is currently
refining their proposal for MCA funding.
DEFENSE
Mali's armed forces number some 7,000 and are under the control
of the Minister of Defense and Veterans, as is the National Guard.
The Gendarmerie and local police forces are under the Ministry
of Security and Civil Protection. The police and gendarmes share
responsibility for internal security; the police are in charge
of urban areas only. In the 1960s and 1970s, Mali's Army and Air
Force relied primarily on the Soviet Union for materiel and training.
A few Malians receive military training in the United States,
France, and Germany. Under the Pan Sahel Initiative, more troops
will get training and equipment in 2003-04. Military expenditures
total about 13% of the national budget.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Since independence in 1960, Malian governments have shifted from
an ideological commitment to socialism and a policy alignment
with communist states to pragmatism that judges issues and their
merits, welcomes assistance from all sources, and encourages private
investment. The present government, which assumed office in 2002,
is committed to democracy, economic reform, free market policies,
regional integration, and international cooperation on peacekeeping
and counter-terrorism activities.
Mali is a member of the UN and many of its specialized agencies,
including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World
Bank; the International Labor Organization (ILO); the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU); and the Universal Postal Union
(UPU). It also belongs to the African Union (AU); the Organization
of the Islamic Conference (OIC); the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM);
and the African Development Bank (ADB). Mali also is an associate
member of the European Union (EU).
Mali is active in regional organizations. It participates in
the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the
West African Economic Monetary Union (UEMOA) for regional economic
integration; Liptako-Gourma Authority, which seeks to develop
the contiguous areas of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso; the Niger
River Commission; the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought
Control in the Sahel (CILSS); and the Senegal River Valley Development
Organization (OMVS).
U.S.-MALIAN RELATIONS
U.S.-Malian relations are excellent and expanding. They are based
on shared goals of averting suffering and strengthening democracy.
The bilateral agenda is dominated by efforts to increase broad-based
growth, improve health and educational facilities, promote the
sustainable use of natural resources, reduce the population growth
rate, counter the spread of highly infectious diseases, encourage
regional stability, build peacekeeping capabilities, institutionalize
respect for human rights, and strengthen democratic institutions
in offering good governance. Mali currently is a small market
for U.S. trade and investment, but there is potential for considerable
growth as its economy expands.
Mali is a leading regional partner in the Global War on Terrorism.
Mali also serves as an important laboratory for testing new anti-malaria
medicines for use by American citizen travelers and for research
that will have an Africa-wide impact. USAID, Peace Corps, and
other U.S. Government programs play a significant role in fostering
sustainable economic and social development. USAID programs also
strengthen efforts to consolidate the peace process in northern
Mali and the region's socioeconomic and political integration.
Defense Department security assistance programs and training support
help permit Mali to achieve its potential in international peacekeeping
and counter-terrorism efforts.
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--Terence P. McCulley
Deputy Chief of Mission--Steven Kraft
Director, USAID Mission--Alex Newton
Director, Peace Corps--Kateri Clement
Public Affairs Officer--Mary Speer
Management Officer--Dwight Rhoades
Acting Political-Economic Officer--Matthew J. Miller
Acting Consular Officer--Aaron Sampson
Defense Attaché--Maj. Argyrio Haritos
The U.S. Embassy is located at Rue Mohamed V and Rue Rochester
NY, Bamako, tel.: (223) 222-54-70 or 222-38-33 (after-hours),
fax: (223) 222-37-12. The mailing address is BP 34, Bamako, Mali.
Embassy hours are 7:30 a.m-5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday
and 7:30 am-11:30 am on Friday.
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be obtained from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at (202)
647-5225. For after-hours emergencies, Sundays and holidays, call
202-647-4000.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S. Department
of State's single, centralized public contact center for U.S.
passport information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778).
Customer service representatives and operators for TDD/TTY are
available Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time,
excluding federal holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations
or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety
for regions and countries. A booklet entitled Health Information
for International Travel (HHS publication number CDC-95-8280)
is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington,
DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800.
Information on travel conditions, visa requirements, currency
and customs regulations, legal holidays, and other items of interest
to travelers also may be obtained before your departure from a
country's embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for this country,
see "Principal Government Officials" listing in this
publication).
U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous
areas are encouraged to register their travel via the State Department’s
travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov
or at the Consular section of the U.S. embassy upon arrival in
a country by filling out a short form and sending in a copy of
their passports. This may help family members contact you in case
of an emergency.
Further Electronic Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at http://www.state.gov,
the Department of State web site provides timely, global access
to official U.S. foreign policy information, including Background
Notes and daily press briefings along with the directory of key
officers of Foreign Service posts and more.
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance
and market information offered by the federal government and provides
trade leads, free export counseling, help with the export process,
and more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
provides authoritative economic, business, and international trade
information from the Federal government. The site includes current
and historical trade-related releases, international market research,
trade opportunities, and country analysis and provides access
to the National Trade Data Bank.
