Ulmar, DK1CE will be active again as TZ1CE from Mali, 28 January - 20 February 2025.
He will operate on 160 - 10m, SSB, FT8.
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TZ1CE Log search QSL via home call, LOTW, ClubLog.
Mali
The Republic of Mali is a former French colony in West Africa that gained independence. The northeast of the country is currently under the control of Islamists from Ansar al-Din, a group close to Al-Qaeda. Mali is one of the poorest countries and is in dire need of foreign aid. More than a third of Mali's population is below the poverty line. At the same time, Mali is one of the largest exporters of gold in Africa, and the country has reserves of iron ore, copper, zinc, manganese, lithium, uranium and other minerals.
Mali. Author - Soiny Duval.
African tribes
The first tribes engaged in cattle breeding, hunting and fishing appeared on the territory of modern Mali about 7 thousand years ago. In the III millennium B.C. the tribes learned to cultivate the soil and engage in farming.
The territory, which today belongs to the republic, was part of three powerful African empires: Ghana, Mali and Songhai, which alternately displaced each other, and in the XVI century was conquered by the Moroccans. From the 17th century onwards, Mali was home to several states formed by African tribes that were constantly at war with each other.
Colonization
In the second half of the 19th century, French colonizers, taking advantage of the incessant hostility of African tribes, began to seize territories. By the beginning of the last century, France managed to take control of the entire territory of the modern republic. The colony was named French Sudan, and in 1945 it was given the status of an overseas territory. All inhabitants of Mali received French citizenship.
Colonizers actively invested money in French Sudan, developing its economy and infrastructure. Only for the period from 1928 to 1939, 4 billion francs were invested. As a result, highways, railroads, irrigation canals were built, and lands in the Niger River Valley were developed, where irrigated rice fields and cotton plantations appeared.
Local executive authorities were established in the colony and the inhabitants were granted the right to participate in political life.
Mali. Author - Timon91.
Proclamation of an independent State
In 1958, a constitutional referendum was held in France and its colonies to ratify the draft of a new Constitution. The referendum resulted in the formation of the French Community, of which the colonies became independent members. The French Sudan acquired the status of autonomy.
In the summer of 1960, the French Community was transformed and the colonies gained independence. In the fall of the same year, the Islamic Republic of Mali declared itself an independent secular state.
Coups
The modern history of the republic counts 3 coups d'état. The first president of Mali Modibo Keita, who chose the course of rapprochement with the Soviet Union and proclaimed Marxism-Leninism as the ideology of the country, began the stateization of the economy. A number of radical decisions of the government caused serious damage to industry and led to a significant deterioration in the lives of the population. To remedy the situation, Keita asked the French government for help. In return, France was granted broad control over Mali's economy, which displeased some political forces. The authorities took harsh measures against dissenters, but in late 1968 a coup d'état was carried out by a group of soldiers.
The commander of the military group, Moussa Traoré, became the second president of Mali. After the change of power, political activity in the country was banned, and the first president of the republic was imprisoned. During Traoré's rule, Mali experienced unrest that was suppressed by the authorities. The situation was aggravated by a severe drought in the early seventies. International aid provided to the country was plundered.
Further protests broke out in the early nineties and were brutally suppressed by Traoré. However, the head of state was unable to keep power in his hands and was overthrown by the military. In April 1992, Mali held elections for the head of the republic and Alpha Oumar Konaré, who led the African Party for Solidarity and Justice, assumed the presidency. The new president sentenced his predecessor and his wife to life imprisonment.
Shortly before the next presidential election, scheduled for April 29, 2012, a group of military officers seized the Presidential Palace, national television and military barracks. The country's leadership was arrested. In response to the seizure of power, the Economic Community of West African States imposed financial, economic and diplomatic sanctions on Mali, and announced a freeze on overseas assets and border closures. This forced the head of the military junta to hand over power in the republic to the head of parliament. In 2013, Mali held presidential elections in which Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was elected head of state.
Mali. Author - Amadou Diadie Samassekou.
Islamist seizure of territory in 2012
The Tuareg (Berber people) in Mali took advantage of a military coup to declare the establishment of the independent state of Azawad in northeastern Mali, with Tombouctou as its capital. In May 2012, Islamists from the Ansar al-Din group attacked Tuareg-controlled territory, attacking northern Mali and Tombouctou. A few days after the attack, the leadership of the unrecognized republic reached an agreement with the Islamists, who took control of part of Azawad.
In December 2012, the UN Security Council decided to deploy a peacekeeping contingent to liberate Mali from Islamist extremists. Military actions in this region do not stop even today.
Economy
The main Malian economy is farming and cattle breeding. The agricultural sector employs 80% of the working population. The main sources of foreign exchange earnings are exports of cotton and textile products, as well as gold. The country is the third largest producer of the precious metal on the African continent and the fifteenth largest in the world. However, in the last few years, the volume of gold mining has begun to decline.
Phosphate rock, marble, granite and table salt are also mined in the country.
Population
Mali has a population of approximately 18 million people. The republic has one of the lowest life expectancy rates in the world at 58 years. More than 1.5% of the population is infected with HIV. The level of health care in the republic is extremely low. Mali is on the fourth place in the world in terms of infant mortality - there are 114 deaths per 1000 newborns.
Cases of Ebola virus infection have been repeatedly recorded on the territory of the country.
The education system in the republic is underdeveloped, and there is no higher education.
90% of Mali's inhabitants are Muslims (Sunnis).
Status of women
Mali is considered one of the most dangerous countries for the female population. Few girls in Mali escape circumcision, a genital mutilation procedure that is most often performed in unsanitary conditions. However, the country has not adopted any legislation that prohibits or regulates female circumcision.
The practice of forcing girls into very early marriage is common in Mali. One in ten Malians dies during pregnancy and childbirth.
Interesting facts
Before the military coup of 2012, Mali was visited by several tens of thousands of tourists annually. Now the tourist flow has been stopped - there are practically no people willing to visit the republic for tourist purposes.
Mali is a very young country, 67% of citizens are under 25 years old. The average age of the population is 15.9 years.
The average working person earns in Mali no more than 1500 dollars a year. 36% of the population has an income below the official poverty level (1.25 dollars a day). Due to the fact that the vast majority of citizens are employed in agriculture, the country experiences seasonal spikes in unemployment.
