Law enforcement in Mali is the responsibility of the National Police Force (French: Police Nationale du Mali), which is subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Security and Civil Protection.[1][2] The National Police Force shares responsibility for internal security with the Gendarmerie, a paramilitary organization; the police are responsible exclusively for urban areas, while the Gendarmerie's primary responsibility is for rural areas, though it may also reinforce the police when needed.[1][2] According to The Wall Street Journal, each organization has approximately 5,000 personnel,[3] while Interpol gives a figure of over 7,000 for the police.[4]
In October 2015, Moussa Ag Infahi replaced Hamidou Kansaye as Director General of the National Police, while Colonel-Major Satigui Dit Moro Sidibé became the new Director General of the Gendarmerie, succeeding Colonel-Major Mody Bérété.[5] Local police districts are headed by commissioners, who report to regional directors at national police headquarters.[2]
The police are poorly trained, equipped and led, and suffer from low morale.[1][3] Corruption is also a problem.[6] Following the 2013 national elections, Mali's new government made improving the police a priority and accepted the assistance of various countries and external organizations,[3][7] including Japan;[8] the United Nations Development Programme;[8] the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, through the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA);[9] and a European Union Training Mission.[3]
Mali has been a member of Interpol since 1969.[4]
Being a former French colony, Mali has a civil law system based on the French model.[10]
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