SELF-PORTRAIT OF MALI Malian Institute of Action Research for Peace Tel : +223 20 22 18 48 [email protected] www.imrap-mali.org SELF-PORTRAIT OF MALI on the Obstacles to Peace Regional Office for West Africa Tel : +225 22 42 33 41 [email protected] www.interpeace.org on the Obstacles to Peace United Nations In partnership with United Nations Thanks to the financial support of: ISBN 978 9966 1666 7 8 March 2015 As well as the institutional support of: March 2015 9 789966 166678 Self-Portrait of Mali on the Obstacles to Peace IMRAP 2 A Self-Portrait of Mali on the Obstacles to Peace Institute of Action Research for Peace (IMRAP) Badalabougou Est Av. de l’OUA, rue 27, porte 357 Tel : +223 20 22 18 48 Email : [email protected] Website : www.imrap-mali.org The contents of this report do not reflect the official opinion of the donors. The responsibility and the respective points of view lie exclusively with the persons consulted and the authors. Cover photo : A young adult expressing his point of view during a heterogeneous focus group in Gao town in June 2014. Back cover : From top to bottom: (i) Focus group in the Ségou region, in January 2014, (ii) Focus group of women at the Mberra refugee camp in Mauritania in September 2014, (iii) Individual interview in Sikasso region in March 2014. ISBN: 9 789 9661 6667 8 Copyright: © IMRAP and Interpeace 2015. All rights reserved. Published in March 2015 This document is a translation of the report L’Autoportrait du Mali sur les obstacles à la paix, originally written in French. In case of discrepancies with the French version, the latter shall prevail. The reproduction of brief extracts of this report is authorized without necessarily obtaining a formal written approval provided that the original source, the title, the author and the year of publication are appropriately referenced. The approval to use a section or the entire report can be granted in writing. Under no circumstances should the content of this report, including photo captions and quotations, be altered or modified. This publication is the property of IMRAP and Interpeace. The publications from these two organizations do not reflect any particular national or political interest. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of IMRAP or Interpeace. Kindly contact IMRAP on [email protected] or [email protected]. Acknowledgements 3 Acknowledgements It is an honour and a great pleasure for the Executive Management of IMRAP and Interpeace, our technical partner, to express our sincere gratitude to all the resource persons who supported this participatory and inclusive research initiative on the obstacles to and opportunities for peace in Mali. The outcome of this research is an essential basis for the formulation of an agenda for peace, reconciliation and social cohesion in our country. These acknowledgements are first and foremost dedicated to Malians themselves. We particularly wish to thank the people for making themselves available, including the national administrative and elected authorities, the traditional and religious authorities as well as all persons and entities who were met in the field during the various missions for fact finding, consultation, feedback (restitution), and deepening of the analysis of the outcomes. This participatory, inclusive and constructive nationwide dynamic dialogue, would not have been possible without the participation and constant availability of the various segments of the Malian community who spared no effort nor minced words, to express what they thought were the obstacles to and opportunities for peace in Mali. We express our sincere acknowledgement and gratitude to the members of the Board of Directors of IMRAP for their advice as well as moral and material support which enhanced the effectiveness of our activities. The Board of Directors and the Executive Management of IMRAP wish to express their deep gratitude to the entire Interpeace team for its constant commitment and advice with regard to the methodological approach to the support for this initiative. This commitment ensured the constant mobilization of strategic and financial partners as well as partners of similar Interpeace programmes in Africa and at the international level with whom rich and practical experiences were shared. These interactions were effective sources of inspiration for the Mali programme. We say thank you to the collaborators of the Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Rwanda programmes for their support and kindness. We particularly thank Dr. Severin Kouamé, Director of INDIGO Côte d’Ivoire, for his valuable and constant support which enabled us to understand that Côte d’Ivoire and Mali are not only united by a land border, but that they are also united in the quest for sustainable peace. IMRAP 4 A Self-Portrait of Mali on the Obstacles to Peace We wish to thank all those who contributed to the drafting and proofreading of this report. Undoubtedly, their efforts and expertise helped to improve its quality. IMRAP and Interpeace sincerely thank their financial partners, i.e. the European Union (EU) and the Danish Development Agency (DANIDA) for their financial support towards the establishment of this participatory and inclusive national dialogue process aimed at formulating a consensual agenda owned by the Malian people for the strengthening of social cohesion and sustainable peace in Mali. Our gratitude also goes to the governments of Norway and the Netherlands for their institutional support. As Scott M. Weber, the Director-General of Interpeace said in his opening address at the National Conference in January 2015 in Bamako, “We are at the end of the beginning, but not at the end of the process.” This is, therefore, the opportunity to once again thank all the participants of the National Conference on the validation and prioritization of the entry points in the quest for sustainable solutions. Your enthusiasm and perceptiveness in the choice of priorities to be tackled in the second phase of the participatory consultation on sustainable solutions, are a testimony of your support for this noble initiative. We now invite you to assist and guide us in the participatory process in the quest for consensual solutions relating to the priorities identified for peace in Mali. On behalf of the IMRAP Team, Traoré Nènè Konaté, Executive Director Table of contents 5 Table of contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................... 3 Table of contents ............................................................................................... 5 List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ............................................................... 7 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 9 Methodology .................................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER 1: Socio-political diversity and cultural values ........................... 19 1.1 Mali, the land of diversity....................................................................... 19 1.1.1 Mali, land of mythical kingdoms and empires ................................19 1.1.2 Ethnocultural mosaic ......................................................................22 1.1.3 Political diversity ..............................................................................27 1.1.4 Religious diversity: peaceful coexistence between the religions .......29 1.1.5 Foundations of the social contract...................................................31 1.2 Destabilizing dynamics linked to socio-political diversity ................... 35 1.2.1 Collapse of traditional socialization frameworks ...............................35 1.3 Dynamics of exploiting the diversity .................................................... 46 1.3.1 The religious dimension ...................................................................46 1.3.2 The political dimension ....................................................................53 1.3.3 The socio-ethnic dimension ...........................................................57 1.3.4 Independent radio stations as vehicles of exploitation and manipulation ............................................................................62 CHAPTER 2: Regulation of the access to economic resources and opportunities ........................................................................................ 67 2.1 Increased competition around economic resources and opportunities .. 68 2.1.1 Natural resources ............................................................................69 2.1.2 Other disputed economic opportunities ..........................................76 2.2 Perceived regulatory deficiencies: the case of agreements .............. 79 2.3 Perceived impact on socio-political cohesion ................................... 84 2.3.1 Tensing of cohabitation relations at local level ..................................84 2.3.2. Declining trust in institutions ............................................................88 IMRAP 6 A Self-Portrait of Mali on the Obstacles to Peace CHAPTER 3: Governance of access to public services ............................... 99 3.1 Structural imbalances and deficiencies in the provision of public services ................................................................................... 99 3.1.1 Education......................................................................................100