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About the roots of Mali’s conflict report

This report constitutes the first research pillar of the new Maghreb-Sahel Programme of the Clingendael Institute’s Conflict Research Unit, sponsored by the Dutch Nationale Postcode Loterij. It analyses the deep roots of the 2012 Malian conflict and explores the consequences of this crisis on Sahel stability and international involvement in the region. Despite several initiatives (Algerian mediation, joint efforts by the international community), the situation on the ground remains highly tense and is now threatening the stability of the entire region.

This in-depth study explores the long-term drivers of the Malian conflict and aims to highlight emerging trends that could question the effectiveness of international efforts in the Sahel.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all their colleagues from the Clingendael Institute’s Conflict Research Unit, especially Rosan Smits, Ivan Briscoe, Jort Hemmer and Mariska van Beijnum for their invaluable assistance during and after the editing of this paper. We also want to acknowledge Janny Krayema for her outstanding availability regarding our numerous queries on articles and books. Very special thanks go to Virginie Baudais for her thoughtful peer review and the very high quality of her expert inputs. Finally, thanks for editing go to Paula McDiarmid and for typesetting to Textcetera. The contents of the report remain the authors’ responsibility.