Mali: birth of a country from the ashes of the Federation
Modibo Keita, President of Mali, November 19, 1968 © AFP
Text by: Laurent Correau Follow
15 mins
On September 22, 1960, an extraordinary congress of the Sudanese Union RDA proclaimed in Bamako the transformation of French Sudan into the Republic of Mali, a country "free from all commitments and political ties vis-à-vis France".
The enthusiasm of the activists gathered at the technical college in Bamako cannot make us forget that this birth took place in pain and in accusations.
Accusations against officials in neighboring Senegal and against the former colonial power, France.
Because the Republic of Mali is born from the ashes of the Federation of the same name, consumed by the conflict between Sudanese and Senegalese leaders.
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It is 8:30 pm this August 21, 1960. Yacouba Maïga's voice comes to carry, on Radio Sudan, a message from the steering committee of the Sudanese Union-African Democratic Rally (US-RDA, the dominant party in the territory that will become Mali, Editor's note).
The party rises with indignation against "
the attitude of certain officials in Senegal and their foreign inspirers
" and demands "
the immediate release of those responsible in Senegal
".
Since the night of August 19 to 20, Sudanese officials present in Dakar for the functioning of the institutions of the
Federation of Mali
have in fact been in detention.
Was the call anticipated or is it heard?
The main Sudanese leader, Modibo Keïta, his wife, but also a long list of leaders and their entourage take place this August 21 aboard a railcar that leaves Dakar and arrives in the dead of night in Bamako.
Despite the late hour (it is 1:40), the political fever that gripped the Federation of Mali kept an impressive crowd awake.
A press correspondent speaks of 50,000 people gathered at Bamako station.
One thing is certain: the Bamakois mobilized to come and welcome their leader and the delegation returned from Dakar.
This return marks the end of a major project, that of a federation bringing together French Sudan and Senegal, a group that hoped to open up to other countries.
Two subjects fueled the tensions: the distribution of political posts between Senegalese and Sudanese, as well as the question of the presidency of the Federation.
Disagreements have already arisen in April.
Meetings have been called to try to iron them out.
Two deadlines were set: on August 20, 1960, a Malian political conference will attempt to settle the debate on the distribution of posts between the two neighbors and on the 27th, a congress of 200 members will elect the president of the Federation. .
Sudanese or Senegalese coup
?
Mistrust settled between brother countries at the end of July when the chief of staff of the Federation of Mali was appointed.
Colonel Soumaré is then the Sudanese candidate.
But the Senegalese have another name in mind, that of Colonel Fall.
Modibo Keïta goes beyond and appoints Soumaré without countersignature from its vice-president, Mamadou Dia.
In the first weeks of August, rumors already speak of a possible breakup of the Federation of Mali.
Everything accelerates when, unbeknownst to Mamadou Dia, Modibo Keïta asks Colonel Soumaré to take security measures for the August 27 election.
On August 18, he sent the army units stationed in Podor and Bignona telegrams asking them to send troops to Dakar to maintain order during the presidential election.
Soumaré also wants to involve the gendarmerie in the device, while the control of this does not fall within his remit.
The Senegalese are worried about these “requisitions” and are organizing themselves to face what seems to them to be a coup in preparation: they in turn requisition the gendarmerie platoons in Dakar, put troops of the Republican Guard in preparation. state of alert, mobilize activists.
According to Sékéné Mody Cissoko, author of a book on the Federation of Mali, “
thus, on both sides, arrangements were made for the fight, one by reaction to the other, without any consultation or dialogue between the delegation. Sudanese in Dakar and their Senegalese hosts.
The misunderstanding was total.
The Sudanese in turn believed that the Senegalese were preparing a coup to withdraw from the Federation.
"
For the Sudanese, it is the Senegalese who are responsible for the rupture.
Modibo Keïta affirms that on Friday August 19, around 7 p.m., he was informed of the existence of a planned coup d'état by the Senegalese government against the federal government of Mali.
He then convenes a restricted meeting of the Council of Ministers during which two decrees are adopted: one withdraws Mamadou Dia's powers of defense, the other proclaims a state of emergency.
“
The existence of Mali is in danger,”
declares Modibo Keïta during the edition of the newspaper at the end of the evening.
Certain leaders of Mali, under the pretext of presidential elections, want to question the integrity of the national territory and create a state of tension which risks being at the origin of extremely serious incidents.
"
For the Senegalese, it is the adoption of these two decrees that represents a coup d'état.
From Modibo's speech, personalities flock to Dia's home.
Valdiodio Ndiaye went to the gendarmerie camp, obtained the rallying of the gendarmes and demanded the arrest of Colonel Soumaré.
The Senegalese also obtain the return of the Malian army units to their barracks.
Dakar police forces take up positions around public buildings and take Modibo Keïta and other Malian officials to their homes.
It has passed one o'clock in the morning when Léopold Sédar Senghor speaks on Radio Senegal: "
Driven by mad ambition," he
declares,
Mr. Modibo Keïta has just attempted a coup against the Senegalese people.
»In the night, the independence of Senegal is proclaimed.
The accusations on the role of France
What role did France play in this break-up of the Federation of Mali?
On the way back from Dakar, Modibo Keïta launches from Kayes, the first station in Sudanese territory, accusations that target "
some Senegalese leaders
who are
more French than the French and who wanted to francize Mali
".
But he also calls into question Paris: "
For having said that we took too long to take a position on the Algerian problem, that we cannot remain silent in the face of the heroic struggle waged by a colonized people for its independence, that we could not remain indifferent to the Algerian problem and after having tried everything in collaboration with other
É
African states we come, if necessary, recognition of the GPRA, men were moved to Paris and pulled the strings.
"
At the time of the Cold War, Radio Moscow served as a sounding board for these accusations.
According to her, “
French imperialist circles
” have set up a new “
plot against the freedom and independence of the African peoples
”.
The "French colonialists", says this media, caused the secession of Senegal from the Federation of Mali as the Belgians piloted the Katangese secession in the Congo.
“
By order of their French masters,
accuses Radio Moscow
, Senegalese politicians are copying the methods of the Belgian puppet Tshombe: they have seized power and are proclaiming the secession of Senegal.
"
First element of controversy: France, by refusing to involve the forces at its disposal in Dakar, would have (say the Sudanese) in fact supported the Senegalese camp.
Modibo Keïta was not convinced by the arguments of the High Representative of France to the Federation of Mali, Claude Hettier de Boislambert, who told him twice on the night of August 19 to 20 why the forces of the community would not get involved in this conflict (his version is recorded in a note that he writes and which is shared within the French diplomatic network).
The subject, according to the diplomat, is discussed for the first time at the administrative building where he was summoned at 9:30 p.m. after the restricted Council of Ministers.
Hettier de Boislambert then indicates that the French forces are there to face external aggressions and serious internal disturbances, that they will therefore remain on their bases.
And he specifies: “
T
he situation which was evolving around us at that time being considered by me as an internal political crisis in which I could not and did not want to get involved under any pretext.
"
Later, shortly after 3 a.m., the two men spoke again about this intervention while the French diplomat came to report to the Malian official on the information he had obtained on Colonel Soumaré's situation.
"
But, under the terms of the agreements, the French forces must intervene when order is disturbed
"
Keïta said.
"
I replied to the president that, having come around in all directions in Dakar and the surrounding area for nearly an hour to be pleasant to him, I had not seen any trace of the slightest disturbance and that, under these conditions, I did not saw no reason to vary my position.
"
The recognition of Senegal's independence by France rekindles the anger of the Malian authorities.
On September 5, Léopold Sédar Senghor was elected President of the Senegalese Republic.
In the days that followed, he received a congratulatory telegram from General de Gaulle for whom this election seemed to be "
the best guarantee of the friendly and fruitful relations of Senegal and France within our Community
".
On September 11, the office of Prime Minister Michel Debré published a press release in which it took note of this independence.
On September 22, an extraordinary congress of the Sudanese Union draws all the consequences of these developments.
He decides to give French Sudan the name of “Republic of Mali”.
A Republic free from all commitments and political ties to France.
"
This is the logical consequence of the lapse of Franco-Malian agreements that France has deliberately violated recognizing the Republic of Senegal as
É
independent state
," said Modibo Keita in the speech he delivered.
“
The Republic of Mali is born… Mali continues… The word“ Mali ”will continue to resonate like a gong on the conscience of all those who worked for the break-up of the Federation of Mali or who rejoiced in it.
We remain mobilized for the idea of the Federation, which, despite everything, remains a virile seed of African unity.
We lost a game, but we will win the game, Inch 'Allah.
The money powers, the backward and imperialist forces will not be able to do anything about it.
"
Mali: speech by Modibo Keïta of September 22, 1960
Malian anger is expressed with force a week after the proclamation of the country's independence.
At the United Nations platform, during the admission ceremony of Senegal and Mali.
Jean Lacouture, of the newspaper
Le Monde
, remembers the Malian Amadou Aw climbing the platform, "
thin, the sharp face, cut with a knife, the hard chin, posing on the room a flaming glance
".
The speaker first of all rejected French sponsorship for the admission of his country to the UN, “
an act against nature
”, he said, which gave rise to
“
petty maneuvers
”
: “
A sponsorship,
declares Amadou Aw,
supposes a minimum of confidence and friendship which does not exist, at this moment, between France and our country
”.
He then delivers a virulent speech against France, the role he attributes to it in the break-up of the Federation and the Algerian policy in Paris.
"
In the Federation of Mali
," he says, "
events precipitated when the imperialists realized that the nationalist wing of Mali did not accept the neo-colonialist content that we wanted to give to the Franco-Malian agreements. .
There were men in Mali who wanted the reality of their independence, and as soon as we realized this, the federation was over.
»In the corridors of the United Nations, we comment widely on this exit.
The speech particularly rejoices the Guinean delegation, famous for its criticisms against France since its independence in 1958. “
Well!
Now, we Guineans are going to act as moderates,
”says a Guinean diplomat.
A journalist calls out Ismaël Touré, the half-brother of Guinean President Ahmed Sékou Touré: “
Admit that it is you who wrote the Malian speech!
"He receives a response from a mocking leader:"
Oh no, I would have done a lot less hard!
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