History of Mali
Mali used to be one of the countries that belonged to the Sahelian kingdoms. Mali was involved in the trans-Saharan trade. The earliest Sahelian kingdoms are the Ghana Empire. The main tribes in the Sahelian kingdom are the Soninke people. The Soninke people speak the Made language. Ghana Empire exist from the 700 A.D. to 1078 A.D. In 1079 A.D. the Almoravids conquered the Ghana Empire.
The peak in the Mali Empire occurred in the 1300 A.D. During the 1300 A.D., the cities of Djenne and Timbuktu flourished as a trade center. Later the empire was conquered by the Songhai people. The Songhai people are one of the most powerful forces in the west of Africa. In 1591, the Songhai Empire deteriorates due to the conquest of the Moroccan empire. After the sea routes were established, the Trans Saharan trade route is no longer used. Mali once suffered from a severe famine during 1738 – 1756. Due to the famine, more than half of the population in Timbuktu is dead.
During the late 19th century, the French took Mali as one of its colony. Mali came under the dominion of French Sudan. Later, Mali and Senegal joined to become Mali Federation. In 1960, France releases Mali so that it could obtain independence. After two months, Senegal decided to withdraw from the Mali Federation. The Sudanese Republic is now the single country that represents the Mali Federation. The Sudanese Republic gained its independence during 22nd September 1960. The first president of Sudanese Republic is Modibo Kedita. In 1968, Moussa Taore held a battle against the Keita military regime. Many soldiers and people died from the warfare. Traore was risen up as the new president of Mali. Under Traore’s reign, the whole country was in political turmoil. There was a another terrible famine that took place from 1968 – 1974. The influence of the Traore slowly diminished until 1980s.
