Founded on October 1, 1960 after the country's independence from France, the Malian armed forces consist of an army, an air force, a national guard and a gendarmerie.
The Malian armed forces participated in peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (ONUC in 1960-1964 and MONUC since 1999), in Liberia in 1990, in Sierra Leone in 1997 and in the Central African Republic in 2000.
The Agacher Strip War, also known as the Christmas War, was a 1985 border dispute between Mali and Burkina Faso over the Agacher Strip, a semi-desert strip of land 160 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide lying between northern Burkina Faso and eastern Mali. Commander Thomas Sankara: 4,600 men, losses 141 dead and 257 wounded on the Burkina Faso side. Commander Moussa Traoré: 7,600 men, losses 38 dead and 17 wounded on the Mali side.
During the 2000s and early 2010s, Malian soldiers were trained by American instructors as part of Operation Enduring Freedom - Trans Sahara. The Malian army has suffered from the integration of Tuareg rebels into the regular army following a 1992 agreement between the government and rebel groups.
Between January and April 2012, the Malian army suffered a series of setbacks leading to the de facto partition of the country.
Command and central administration
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces is the President of the Republic (Assimi Goita), assisted by the Minister of Defense, the Chief of Staff is General Oumar Diarra.
The central administration of the Ministry of Defense consists of:
• the General Staff of the Armed Forces (EMGA)
• the Army General Staff (EMAT)
• the Air Force General Staff (EMAA)
• the General Staff of the National Guard of Mali (GNM)
• the General Directorate of the National Gendarmerie (DGGN).
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