Mali: Through Thick and Thin, 2015-2017: Volume 1

Eighteen months into his term, in March 2015, President IBK faced numerous challenges, the most significant of which was restoring peace to the north of the country. Moussa MARA, who served as Prime Minister from April 2014 to January 2015, contributed in his own way to this endeavour by regularly publishing opinion pieces in the press for his fellow citizens to consider. The peace agreement, concluded in mid-2015, is presented and analysed in detail to highlight its key aspects and sensitive areas, and to put forward ideas to the Government for its promotion. The year 2015 was also marked by terrorist attacks, from Paris to Bamako via Sévaré, which prompted a number of articles. The year 2016 was marked by the tentative implementation of the agreement and the first electoral debates in the run-up to the 2018 general elections. The year 2017, for its part, saw the regime seriously shaken by social unrest, questions regarding the role of religion in public life and, finally, debates surrounding the issue of constitutional reform. Prime Minister MARA's articles address each of these topics, setting out approaches designed to preserve the social fabric.