Mali’s Traditional Leaders Call for State-Community Trust as Foundation for National Peace
BAMAKO – In a frank assessment of Mali’s ongoing security and governance challenges, prominent traditional leader Amenokal Alhaj Alhassane Ag Mehdi has identified the broken relationship between the state and local communities as the fundamental obstacle to national reconciliation and stability.
The President of the High Council of Imiticha used the occasion of Mali’s National Day of Traditional Legitimacies to deliver a sobering analysis of the diminished role of traditional authorities and outline what he sees as the necessary path toward rebuilding social cohesion.
The Erosion of Traditional Authority
Ag Mehdi described a widespread weakening of traditional leadership across Mali, noting that “there is no longer any area where traditional legitimacies retain the authority they once had.” He attributed this decline to their reduction to “simple administrative relays” rather than respected advisors to the state.
“They are no longer listened to, their word is no longer decisive, and many live in great precariousness,” he stated, emphasizing that “an authority without means cannot exercise its power.”
Beyond Community Reconciliation: The State-Community Divide
While many peace initiatives focus on inter-community reconciliation, Ag Mehdi identified a deeper crisis: “The deepest crisis is not primarily between communities. It is between the State and the communities.”
He argued that restoring this “higher-level trust” must precede local reconciliation efforts. “As long as this higher-level trust is not restored, all other reconciliations will be difficult,” he explained. “Once the State and the communities rebuild trust, local cohesion will follow naturally.”
Traditional Legitimacies as Peace Architects
Ag Mehdi positioned traditional leaders as essential but underutilized resources in Mali’s peace process, noting they “have always managed and stabilized their communities through cultural, historical, ethical, and moral mechanisms capable of preventing conflict and consolidating peace.”
He expressed particular concern about the political instrumentalization of traditional institutions, stating that while chieftaincies serve as “relays for the administration,” their equally important role as “advisors to the State” has been neglected.
A Call for Meaningful Inclusion in Peace Process
The traditional leader offered a striking critique of the current approach to national reconciliation, suggesting that the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation “should have been drafted first by the traditional legitimacies” who possess “the experience and expertise to propose a document truly rooted in the country’s realities.”
He called for the Charter to be “handed over to them so they can take ownership of it, amend it, and adapt it to the specificities of each region,” noting that “the realities in Kidal are not the same as those in Kayes or Sikasso.”
A Turning Point for Traditional Governance
Ag Mehdi framed the 5th edition of the National Day of Traditional Legitimacies as a potential “turning point” that must lead to concrete actions: revitalizing traditional authorities at all territorial levels, improving their living conditions, and implementing an ambitious national action plan.
He emphasized that only through such comprehensive reforms could traditional institutions fully contribute to education, governance, and the construction of what he referred to as Maliden Kura – the New Mali.
This analysis is based on an interview originally published by Journal du Mali.