Mali Federation

Senegal, 1959–1960. Draft, not yet reviewed

The Mali Federation was a federation in West Africa that linked the French colonies of Senegal and the Sudanese Republic for two months in 1960. It was founded on 4 April 1959 as a territory with self-rule within the French Community, and became independent after negotiations with France on 20 June 1960. On 19 August 1960, Sudanese Republic leaders in the federation tried to take control by mobilizing the army, and Senegalese leaders in the federation retaliated by mobilizing the gendarmerie, and Senegal withdrew from the federation the next day.

Seat of power: Dakar

No rulers documented for this era yet.

Culture

• During the brief existence of the Mali Federation, Modibo Keïta, who later became the first president of Mali, served as federation premier, and the government was based in Dakar, the eventual capital of Senegal.
• Only Guinea voted for full independence, and the other colonies of French West Africa voted to join the French Community.
• Sudanese Republic officials resisted the dissolution of the federation, cut off diplomatic relations with Senegal, and defiantly changed the name of their country to the Republic of Mali.

Picture

From 1959 to 1960, Dakar was the capital of the short-lived Mali Federation.

Image: mostroneddo, CC BY 2.0, file

Sources

• Mali Federation (Wikipedia)
• Mali Federation (Wikidata)
• About the picture (Wikipedia)

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.