Until recently, Mali was one of those nations that received
little attention in the Western world, but all of that changed with the French
military intervention in 2012. Mali actually has a very rich history:
beginning with the ninth century the region was ruled by rich kings. Timbuktu
was a university city with a library and 20,000 students! The wealth of the Malian kingdoms was
legendary—it was grounded in the rich deposits of gold ore, and in the Saharan
salt trade.
In the modern era, Mali achieved independence from France in
1960, and has a population today of around 16 Million people. The cultural
heritage of the more than thirty people groups is a rich one, but the current
context in this land-locked country in the Sahel zone, along with the extremely
poor educational level, presents huge challenges to development.
The identity of the majority of Malians is bound up in their
religion—90% of the inhabitants are Muslim. The other 10% are either animists,
or belong to a tiny Christian minority. Most Muslims practice a form of Folk
Islam, which is strongly influenced by various animistic practices.
ReachAcross began working in Mali more than thirty years
ago, during the military dictatorship of Moussa Traoré. The country experienced
more than twenty years of democratic government after Presidents Alpha Omar
Konaré and Amadou Toumani Touré came to power, beginning in 1991. In spite of
the overwhelming majority Muslim population, there was a tremendous amount of
freedom for mission activity. ReachAcross workers from several different
Western and Asian countries, including Europe, North America, Australia, and
South-Korea were active in the country.
People have come to faith in Jesus, and new believers
are being discipled and trained. Educational and literacy projects are still
being carried out, such as language classes and setting up libraries.
ReachAcross is engaged in linguistic work, and is partnering with others in the
translation of the Scriptures into one local language that is spoken in a large area of the country. Bible translation is
the foundation of other publications being produced, from purely educational to
evangelistic in nature. The Gospel of Christ is being proclaimed through many
different ways, including electronic media, radio programming, films, literature,
films, cassettes, etc. In a remote section of this region, ReachAcross workers
for several years ran an eye clinic which is now under indigenous leadership.
In spite of the religious freedom allowed by the Malian
government, there continue to be incidents at the local level of human rights
violations—usually within a believer’s own family. ReachAcross workers seek to
come alongside the victims and help as we are able.
We always knew that this open door in Mali was unusual for a
Muslim country—pretty much unique—and in recent years it has come increasingly
under attack. Fanatical Islamic groups
in the Sahel zone and in the Sahara, such as AQIM (Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb)
have caused increasing instability. Their criminal activities, such as illicit
trade in drugs and weapons, and kidnapping of (primarily) Westerners, have
brought a lot of pain and insecurity.
ReachAcross workers have been
increasingly limited in their activities, especially in efforts to provide some
degree of care of believers. Literature distribution to the outlying areas has been temporarily halted, and travel to some of the more remote villages curtailed.
Political
Instability
For decades, the typical challenges in Mali have been things
like illiteracy, corruption, famine and lack of health care, but now political
instability has been added to the mix. In April 2012 Tuareg rebels in the north
of the country instigated a rebellion. Many of their tribesmen had fought in
the Libyan army, were well educated, and also after the fall of Qaddafi,
increasingly well-armed. These rebels rolled over the Malian army in short
order and occupied more than half of the country. Fanatical Islamic groups lost
no time in cashing in on the opportunity, and quickly took over the leadership
of both rebel militia and local governments. Radicalized recruits from Nigeria,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, and Europe joined in the fray.
The situation became even more complicated, as parts of the
Malian military carried out a coup against the president, while the rebels
terrorized the civilian population in the occupied northern two-thirds of the
country. Inhuman regulations, torture, mutilation and execution became commonplace,
and Muslims as well as the tiny minority of Christians southwards. Fanatics destroyed both Islamic holy places
and Christian churches alike—and created more than 400,000 refugees.
When French and African soldiers intervened in January of
2013, the foreign departments of Western countries warned their citizens
against staying the country. The ReachAcross team decided to move their
activities temporarily into neighboring Senegal. In the meantime, they have
been able to return, after the French intervention managed to push the rebels
out. Western diplomatic missions pushed Mali to conduct democratic elections in
July and August of this year. These took place without major incidents. Ibrahim
Boubacar Keita, an experienced politician who has been government chief
executive in the past, was elected President.
The country stands before
gigantic challenges, however. Reconciling
the various people groups and clans, rebuilding the infrastructure, and
creating a lasting peace—all this will take time. Mali needs our prayers and
our involvement for a long time to come!
German National Director
