Editing Malian Armed Forces (section)

==History==
The Malian armed forces were initially formed by Malian conscript and volunteer veterans of the [[French Armed Forces]]. In the months preceding the formation of the Malian armed forces, the French Armed Forces withdrew from their bases in Mali.[[File:VOA Mali National Guard soldier.jpg|thumb|right|A national guard soldier walks by demonstrators at Bamako airport.]]
Among the last bases to be closed were those at [[Kati]], on 8 June 1961, [[Tessalit]] (''base aérienne secondaire''), on 8 July 1961, [[Gao]] (''base aérienne 163 de Gao''), on 2 August 1961, and Air Base 162 at Bamako (''base aérienne 162 de Bamako''), on 5 September 1961.<ref name="toure2011" />

"On 1 October 1960, the Malian army was created and solemnly installed through a speech by Chief of Staff Captain Sekou Traore. On 12 October the same year, the population of Bamako attended for the first time an army parade under the command of Captain Tiemoko Konate. Organizationally, says Sega Sissoko, is the only battalion of [[Ségou]] and includes units scattered across the territory. A memo from the Chief of Staff ordered a realignment of the battalion. Following on, a command and services detachment in Bamako was created, and the engineer company in Ségou, the first Saharan motorized company of [[Gao]], the Saharan Motor Company of [[Kidal]], the Arouane nomad group, nomadic group of Timetrine (in the commune of [[Timtaghène]]), the 1st Reconnaissance Company and Nioro 2nd Reconnaissance Company Tessalit. As of 16 January 1961, Mali's army totaled 1232 men."<ref name="toure2011" /><ref name="konate2009" />

In the sixties and seventies, Mali's army and air force relied primarily on the Soviet Union for materiel and training.<ref name="LOC" />

On 19 November 1968, a group of young Malian officers staged a bloodless coup and set up a 14-member military junta, with Lieutenant [[Moussa Traoré]] 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. The military leaders remained in power.<ref name="Herbert Howe 2005, p.277">Herbert Howe, Ambiguous Order: Military Forces in African States, Lynne Rienner, 2005, p.277</ref>

Single-party presidential and legislative elections were held in June 1979, and General Moussa Traoré 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 Traore government ruled throughout the 1970s and 1980s. On 26 March 1991, after four days of intense anti-government rioting, a group of 17 military officers, led by subsequent President [[Amadou Toumani Touré]], arrested President Traoré and suspended the constitution. They formed a civilian-heavy provisional ruling body, and [[History of Mali#Transition to multiparty democracy|initiated a process that led to democratic elections]].<ref name="Herbert Howe 2005, p.277" />

The [[Tuareg rebellion (1990–95)|Tuareg rebellion]] began in 1990 when Tuareg separatists attacked government buildings around [[Gao]]. The armed forces' reprisals led to a full-blown rebellion in which the absence of opportunities for Tuareg in the army was a major complaint. The conflict died down after [[Alpha Konaré]] formed a new government and made reparations in 1992. Also, Mali created a new self-governing region, the [[Kidal Region]], and provided for greater Tuareg integration into Malian society. In 1994, Tuareg, reputed to have been trained and armed by Libya, attacked Gao, which again led to major Malian Army reprisals and to the creation of the Ghanda Koi [[Songhai people|Songhai]] [[militia]] to combat the Tuareg.  Mali effectively fell into [[civil war]].

As of June 2008, service commanders were Colonel Boubacar Togola (Armée de Terre), Colonel Waly Sissoko (Armée de l'Air), Lieutenant-Colonel Daouda Sogoba (Garde Nationale) et du Colonel Adama Dembélé (Gendarmerie Nationale).<ref>[http://www.maliweb.net/category.php?NID=32145 État-major général des armées : Le colonel Gabriel Poudiougou promu Général de brigade] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309183609/http://www.maliweb.net/category.php?NID=32145 |date=9 March 2012 }}. L'Indépendant, 12/06/2008</ref>

The Malian army largely collapsed during the war against Tuareg separatists and Islamist rebels in early 2012. In a span of less than fourth months at the start of 2012, the Malian army was defeated by the rebels who seized more than 60% of the former Malian territory, taking all camps and position of the army, capturing and killing hundreds of Malian soldiers, while hundred others deserted or defected.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dixon|first1=Robyn|author-link=Robyn Dixon (journalist)|last2=Labous|first2=Jane|date=4 April 2012|title=Gains of Mali's Tuareg rebels appear permanent, analysts say|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|location=Johannesburg and London|url=https://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2012-apr-04-la-fg-mali-tuaregs-20120404-story.html|access-date=10 February 2022|archive-date=10 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210061205/https://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2012-apr-04-la-fg-mali-tuaregs-20120404-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Following the rebel advance, a group of soldiers from the Kati camp near Bamako staged a coup on 22 March 2012 which overthrew Malian president [[Amadou Toumani Touré]]. After the junta seized power, they successfully repelled a counter coup on 30 April by loyalists from the red berets elite units.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mali/9238385/Mali-counter-coup-fails.html | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Mike | last=Pflanz | title=Mali counter-coup fails | date=1 May 2012 | access-date=4 April 2018 | archive-date=5 April 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405090458/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mali/9238385/Mali-counter-coup-fails.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

The Malian military was rebuilt by French forces, and is now capable of conducting counter terrorism operations. In February 2020, the army stated that up to 200 Malian troops arrived in Kidal, a Northern city. This was the first time the army was deployed in this area because of the Tuareg Separatists rebels that chased out the army since 2014.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mali-security-idUSKBN2072K0|title=Mali troops return to key northern city after six-year absence|date=2020-02-13|work=Reuters|access-date=2020-02-14|language=en|archive-date=14 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214055553/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mali-security-idUSKBN2072K0|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 1 November 2019, the [[Islamic State in the Greater Sahara|IS-GS]] militants killed at least 50 soldiers in the [[2019 Indelimane attack]] in the [[Ménaka Region]] of Mali.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/militants-kill-54-attack-mali-army-post-claims-responsibility-n1075721|title=Militants kill 54 in attack on Mali army post, ISIS claims responsibility|website=[[NBC News]]|date=3 November 2019 |accessdate=12 December 2019}}</ref>

Since the 2020 coup, the military received equipment from Turkish forces.<ref name=Turkey/>

On 7 September 2023, at least 154 civilians and fifteen Malian soldiers were killed when al-Qaeda linked [[Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin|JNIM]] militants [[Tombouctou and Bamba attacks|simultaneously attacked]] a Malian military camp at [[Bamba, Mali|Bamba]] and the civilian boat ''Tombouctou'' on the [[Niger River]] near the village of [[Banikane, Gourma-Rharous]]..<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-01 |title=Mali : Les groupes islamistes armés et l'armée prennent les civils pour cible |url=https://www.hrw.org/fr/news/2023/11/01/mali-les-groupes-islamistes-armes-et-larmee-prennent-les-civils-pour-cible |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214185052/https://www.hrw.org/fr/news/2023/11/01/mali-les-groupes-islamistes-armes-et-larmee-prennent-les-civils-pour-cible |archive-date=14 December 2023 |access-date=2024-01-01 |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]] |language=fr}}</ref>

In July 2024, [[Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad|CSP-DPA]] rebels and JNIM militants killed dozens of Russian mercenaries and Malian government forces during the [[Battle of Tinzaouaten (2024)|Battle of Tinzaouaten]].<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Darya Tarasova |author2=Tim Lister |author3=Avery Schmitz |date=2024-07-29 |title=Dozens of Russian mercenaries killed in rebel ambush in Mali, in their worst known loss in Africa |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/29/africa/russian-mercenaries-wagner-killed-mali-intl-latam/index.html |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> On 17 September 2024, JNIM militants [[2024 Bamako attacks|attacked several locations]] across [[Bamako]], the capital of Mali, including police and military installations, killing at least 77 people and injuring 255 others.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 17, 2024 |title=Attack by al-Qaeda linked group in Mali killed more than 70 people |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/20/attack-by-al-qaeda-linked-group-in-mali-killed-more-than-70-people |access-date=September 20, 2024 |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English]] |language=en}}</ref>