Malian Armed Forces
The Malian Armed Forces (French: Forces Armées Maliennes) consists of the Army (French: Armée de Terre), Republic of Mali Air Force (French: Force Aérienne de la République du Mali), and National Guard. They number some 7,000 and are under the control of the Minister of Armed Forces and Veterans. The Library of Congress as of January 2005 stated that "[t]he military is underpaid, poorly equipped, and in need of rationalization. Its organisation has suffered from the incorporation of Tuareg irregular forces into the regular military following a 1992 agreement between the government and Tuareg rebel forces."
| Malian Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| Forces Armées Maliennes | |
| Founded | 10 October 1960 |
| Service branches | Malian Army Malian Air Force Malian Gendarmerie Republican Guard National Police (Sûreté Nationale) |
| Headquarters | Bamako |
| Website | fama |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-chief | Assimi Goïta |
| Minister of Defence | Sadio Camara |
| Chief of General Staff | Oumar Diarra |
| Personnel | |
| Conscription | Compulsory military service |
| Active personnel | 40,000 plus 4,800 paramilitary forces |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | $200-300 million ($5 million procurement) (FY03) |
| Percent of GDP | 3% (FY01) |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers | Bulgaria China France Russia Turkey Ukraine United States |
| Related articles | |
| Ranks | Military ranks of Mali |
In 2009, the IISS Military Balance listed 7,350 soldiers in the Army, 400 in the Air Force, and 50 in the Navy. The Gendarmerie and local police forces (under the Ministry of Interior and Security) maintain internal security. The IISS listed paramilitary total force as 4,800 personnel: 1,800 in the Gendarmerie (8 companies), 2,000 in the Republican Guard, and 1,000 police officers. A few Malians receive military training in the United States, France, and Germany.
Military expenditures total about 13% of the national budget. Mali is an active contributor to peacekeeping forces in West and Central Africa; the Library of Congress said that in 2004 Mali was participating in United Nations operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC, 28 personnel including 27 observers), Liberia (UNMIL, 252 personnel, including 4 observers), and Sierra Leone (3 observers).