By Tim Lambert
Early Mali
In the 13th century, a powerful empire arose in West Africa, called the Mali Empire. It was founded by the legendary king Sundiata Keita. Mali was rich in gold fields. It also prospered because of trade in slaves across the Sahara. (Slaves from sub-Saharan Africa were exported to the Arab world).
Mali reached its peak in the 14th century under Mansa (Emperor) Musa. He was fabulously wealthy. In 1324, he famously made a pilgrimage to Mecca, accompanied by a huge retinue.
However, in the 15th century, the Empire of Mali declined, and in the 16th century, it was replaced by the Songhai Empire. But, in 1590, Moroccans armed with muskets invaded, and they easily defeated Songhai at the Battle of Tondibi in 1591. Following the fall of the Songhai Empire, Mali split into several states.
Modern Mali
In 1898, France conquered Mali, which they renamed French Sudan. However, in 1960, Mali gained its independence.
In the following decades, Mali had a series of coups. The first president of Mali was Modibo Keita, but in 1968, he was overthrown by a coup led by Moussa Traoré. In turn, Traore was ousted by a coup in 1991. In 1992, Alpha Konare was elected president. He was followed in 2002 by Amadou Toumani Toure. However, in 2012, Toure was deposed by a coup. After an interim period, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was elected president in 2013. However, he was deposed in a coup in 2020.
Today, gold remains one of Mali’s most significant exports. Cotton is also important. However, most of the population is subsistence farmers, and Mali is a poor country. In 2025, the population of Mali was 25 million.
