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Mali
Became independent on 20 June 1960 as part of the Mali Federation with Senegal; after Senegal's secession, the former French Sudan proclaimed the Republic of Mali on 22 September 1960, its national independence day.
- Independence
- June 20, 1960
- Before
- Sudanese Republic
- Metropole
- France
- Leader
- Modibo Keïta
- Transition
- Negotiated
- Movement
- Union Soudanaise–RDA (US-RDA)
Conquest of the Western Sudan
French forces advanced from Senegal up the Niger valley from the 1880s, campaigning against Samori Touré and the Tukulor state of Ahmadu, and the territory was formally named French Sudan in 1890. After 1946 the Union Soudanaise–RDA, which grew out of the Bloc soudanais founded by Mamadou Konaté and Modibo Keïta in 1945 and was led by Keïta after Konaté's death, overtook Fily Dabo Sissoko's Parti Progressiste Soudanais to dominate the territory's politics.
The Mali Federation
Keïta opposed the break-up of French West Africa into separate territories under the 1956 Loi Cadre. In January 1959 delegates from four territories approved the constitution of the Mali Federation, named after the medieval empire, but only French Sudan and Senegal adopted it; Dahomey and Upper Volta declined to ratify it. The Federation negotiated independence from France, which took effect on 20 June 1960, with Keïta as head of government and Léopold Senghor presiding over the federal assembly.
Collapse and the Republic of Mali
Rivalry between Keïta's centralising socialism and Senghor's federalism broke the union within two months: Senegal withdrew on 20 August 1960. French Sudan, the Sudanese Republic, proclaimed itself the Republic of Mali on 22 September 1960, now the national independence day. Keïta pursued a socialist course, cut Mali's political ties with France and the French Community and in 1962 introduced the Malian franc.
Chronology
- 17 January 1959 — Constitution of the Mali Federation approved by a federal constituent assembly in Dakar; later adopted only by French Sudan and Senegal
- 4 April 1960 — Franco-Malian agreements on the transfer of sovereignty signed
- 20 June 1960 — Mali Federation becomes independent
- 20 August 1960 — Senegal secedes; Federation collapses
- 22 September 1960 — Republic of Mali proclaimed under Keïta
- 1 July 1962 — Mali introduces its own currency, the Malian franc
- 19 November 1968 — Keïta overthrown in a coup by junior officers led by Moussa Traoré
Aftermath
Keïta was a founding member of the Casablanca Group in 1961. Economic hardship and the harsh 'cultural revolution' he launched in 1967 alienated much of the population, and junior officers led by Moussa Traoré overthrew him on 19 November 1968. Keïta died in detention in 1977; Traoré ruled until a popular uprising and coup in March 1991.
Legacy
Mali's exit from the French Community and embrace of socialism expressed a bold anti-imperialist vision that foundered economically. The failure of the Mali Federation ended the most serious attempt to preserve a larger West African union after colonial rule.