Mali’s transportation systems are concentrated in the Sudanic and Sahelian regions. Because Mali is landlocked, its major transport routes connect with those of neighbouring countries and their ports to provide it with outlets to the sea.

Several main paved roads radiate from Bamako. It is linked with Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire, Kankan in Guinea, Monrovia in Liberia, and Ayorou in Niger. An all-weather road connects Gao and Sévaré (Mali) and is part of the Trans-Sahara Highway that links Algeria and Nigeria. Railroad track runs from Koulikoro, a short distance northeast of Bamako, northwestward to Kayes and to Kidira, on the Senegal border, where it connects with the Senegalese railway to Dakar. These railways are being restored and modernized through donor-funded programs.

Given the inadequacies of land transport, the country’s two major rivers—the Niger and the Sénégal—are important transportation links. Koulikoro, along the Niger just northeast of Bamako, is the country’s primary riverine port. The Niger is navigable throughout its length in Mali year-round for small boats and from July to January for larger vessels. The Sénégal is navigable year-round only from Ambidédi, just west of Kayes, to the river’s mouth in Senegal.

A national airline, Compagnie Aérienne du Mali, operates both domestic and international flights. Mali’s main airport is at Bamako, and there are several smaller ones.

Mali’s telephone service is limited. Landline coverage is not widely available and is somewhat unreliable, although the government worked to improve and expand the infrastructure in the early 21st century. Mobile telephone service is far more popular than landline telephone service and is expanding more rapidly. Access to Internet services is limited but continues to gradually increase—particularly in urban areas, owing to the growing popularity of Internet cafés.

Constitutional framework

The constitution promulgated at independence in 1960 guaranteed parliamentary democracy, although the provisions of it were not fully implemented. It was suspended after a military government took power in 1968, and a new constitution, approved in a national referendum in 1974 and enacted in 1979, made the Malian People’s Democratic Union (Union Démocratique du Peuple Malien; UDPM) the country’s sole legal party until 1991. In 1992 a third constitution was approved, providing for the separation of powers into three government branches, including a unicameral National Assembly as the legislative body. It also guaranteed the right to multiparty politics. The members of the Assembly are popularly elected to five-year terms, as is the president. The president, who can serve no more than two terms, is the head of state and appoints the prime minister (the head of government) and the cabinet.

The 1992 constitution was suspended after a military coup that began on March 21–22, 2012. Coup leaders quickly established the National Committee for the Recovery of Democracy and Restoration of the State to govern the country and a week later introduced a new constitution. They faced mounting international condemnation for their actions, however, and, a few days after unveiling their new constitution, they announced that they would reinstate the 1992 version and work toward the establishment of a transitional government. The Economic Community of West African States mediated an agreement with the military leaders that provided for a return to civilian rule. Mali’s deposed president officially resigned so the presidential succession plan detailed in Article 36 of the 1992 constitution could be enacted, with the president of the National Assembly being sworn in as interim president on April 12, 2012. A democratically elected president was installed on September 4, 2013, marking an end to the interim administration.

A military coup in August 2020 led to a takeover of the government by a military junta, the National Committee for the Salvation of the People. A transitional charter, which outlined the country’s return to civilian rule, was created in September. It provided for a transitional government, intended to govern for no more than 18 months, that was to be headed by an interim president and prime minister. A transitional council, composed of 121 members, was to serve as the legislative body. A second military coup occurred in May 2021, but the military leaders pledged to maintain the existing transitional government structure.

Local government

The country is divided into the eight régions of Gao, Kayes, Kidal, Koulikoro, Mopti, Ségou, Sikasso, and Tombouctou and the district of Bamako. Each of the régions is further divided into administrative units called cercles, which are in turn subdivided into arrondissements. Each région is administered by a governor, who coordinates the activities of the cercles and implements economic policy. The cercles provide nuclei for the major government services; their various headquarters provide focal points for health services, the army, the police, local courts, and other government agencies. The arrondissement is the basic administrative unit, and its centre usually houses a school and a dispensary. It is composed of several villages, which are headed by chiefs and elected village councils.

Justice

As the head of the judicial system, the Supreme Court exercises both judicial and administrative powers; it is the court of first and last resort in matters concerning the government. Courts of appeal try all cases on appeal, and there are also magistrates’ courts. The High Court of Justice tries cases relating to malfeasance of senior government officials. Justices of the peace have full powers to judge ordinary civil, commercial, and financial cases; they sit in the headquarters of the cercles and also travel to the major towns of the arrondissements.