In a significant constitutional reform, Mali decided to change the status of the French language, which had been the official language of the country.
The new constitution, adopted through a referendum with an overwhelming 96.91% approval rate, will elevate national languages to official status, reducing the position of French to a language for specific purposes.
The Moroccan News Agency reported that the new Malian constitution passed after dismissing several appeals to the court, particularly concerning the cancellation of the referendum due to incomplete nationwide participation, now recognizes the official status of national languages.
The Constitutional Court clarified that the voter turnout for the referendum stood at 38.23% of registered voters on the electoral rolls.
It is worth noting that back in November, the transitional government of Mali announced the suspension of all activities of non-governmental organizations funded by France.
This decision came amidst heightened tensions in the relations between the two countries.
The Malian government issued an immediate ban on “activities of all non-governmental organizations operating in Mali, which receive funding or material or technical support from France, including those working in the humanitarian field.”
The government further stated that it learned about France’s decision, made on November 16, to suspend its aid to development organizations due to baseless allegations concerning military cooperation between Mali and Russia.
