Mali, Yesterday and Today

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