Mali removes French as its official language

Mali, a country in West Africa, has removed French from being the official language of communication to being a working language following the implementation of its new constitution.

The law was enacted on Saturday, July 22 by Colonel Assimi Goïta, the country’s ruling military junta.

French has been Mali’s official language since it gained independence in 1960, and according to the constitution, 13 national languages that will be given official status will replace it.

Some 70 local languages spoken in the country including Bobo, Dogon, Minianka and Bambara will also be upgraded to national languages.

A lot of the citizens, 97, voted for the constitution during the June 18 referendum which observed 38 per cent voter turnout.

Through the constitution, the powers of the president will be strengthened and a senate will be introduced. It is also aimed at stopping jihadist insurgency which has been going on for 11 years.

Mali has experienced two coups in recent years including August 2020 where mass protests were staged against the then president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta due to disputed elections, economic uncertainty and insecurity.

The coup was led by Goïta who has been the president since then.

Elections aimed at handing over the governance to civilians were to be held on February 2022 but were later postponed to 2024.

Recently, Mali kicked out all United Nations peacekeepers and employed Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group to provide backup security.