Central Mali: An Uprising in the Making

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Book

Title:	Central Mali: An Uprising in the Making
Author:	International Crisis Group
Year:	2016
Issue:	238
Pages:	28
Language:	English
Series:	ICG Africa report
City of publisher:	Brussels
Publisher:	International Crisis Group
Geographic term:	Mali
Subjects:	pastoralists farmers land conflicts violence
External link:	https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/west-africa/mali/central-mali-uprising-making
Abstract:	While attention has focused on northern Mali, armed violence is escalating at an alarming rate in the centre of the country, long neglected by the state. The management of natural resources has given rise to multiple conflicts that the government and local elites are unable to control. For the past several months, a jihadist uprising has capitalised on the state's lack of legitimacy and extended its influence. State representatives are being chased out of rural areas. Yet, violence also stems from settlings of scores, banditry and a growing number of self-defence militias. The peace agreement signed in Bamako in June 2015 applies primarily to northern regions and disregards the centre of the country. Mali's government and its principal partners should renew their efforts to restore the state's authority and legitimacy among all the communities of the area. Absent appropriate action, central Mali - an area more densely populated than the north and vital to the economy - risks becoming a source of protracted instability.