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Sub Saharan Africa

Mali

 Flag of Mali

Map of Mali Last reviewed: 25 February 2009

Country information

International relations

Mali has strong regional ties. President Toure has played a mediating role in Cote d'Ivoire and Togo. Mali was the chair of the sub-regional body ECOWAS in 2000 and 2001, and is a member of the West African Franc Zone organisation UEMOA. The country has also fostered strong ties with countries in North Africa (Morocco, Libya) and neighbours such as Senegal. There is considerable concern in the country at the slow resolution of the conflict in Cote d'Ivoire, as many thousands of Malians or people of Malian origin live and work there.

Mali enjoys strong relations with France (where there is a large Malian community) and with other EU countries. The Africa-France summit was held in the capital Bamako in December 2005. Mali has recently signed an agreement with South Africa on cooperation in the defence sector. Former President Konare was appointed in 2003 to the 4-year Chair of the African Union Commission. The position was extended for 1 year in July 2007. Mali is one of the countries to benefit from anti-terrorist training under the US-sponsored Trans-saharan Counter-Terrorism initiative.

African Union

Franc Zone

Mali's relations with the UK

The UK's relations with Mali are good. There is a small but active community in the UK dedicated to the development of Mali (for example the Friends of Mali organisation). The British Ambassador in Dakar is also accredited to Mali, where he is assisted by a small British Embassy Liaison Office (BELO), co-located with the Canadian Embassy in Bamako.

Friends of Mali - UK

Diplomatic representation

There is no Malian Embassy in London. The Malian Embassy in Brussels is accredited to the UK.

Recent visits

The Malian Foreign Minister paid an official visit to the UK in November 2000.

In April 2003, Baroness Amos (then FCO Minister for Africa) visited Mali as part of a G8 meeting of Personal Representatives in Bamako. In December 2003, The Malian Minister for Culture (and famous film maker), M. Cheik Oumar Sissoko, visited the UK to promote Malian films. Paul Boateng, then Chief Secretary to the Treasury, visited Mali in February 2005 to promote the work of the Commission for Africa. Lord Triesman visited Mali in November 2005 for the European Union–African Union Ministerial Troika meeting.

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Contacts

Mali

Address:

Embassy of the Republic of Mali
Avenue Molière 487
1050 Brussels

Telephone:

(00) (322) 345 74 32

Fax:

(00) 322 344 57 00