Abstract
The article highlights the involvement of Muslim leaders in Mali’s
conflict resolution process from January 2012 to the French intervention
the following year. Built upon extensive fieldwork conducted throughout
2017, it discusses the mechanisms at play as religious mediators seek
cooperation amongst three separate fault lines of potential conflict:
between the state and the people, between ethnic communities, and
amongst rival armed groups. Indeed, while most discussion of the role of
Islam in Mali has focused on the jihadist strains threatening to tear
the country apart from the North, our central conclusion is that it is
in fact the more moderate, locally embedded religious forces that are
partly responsible for holding the country together. Their ability to
act across these three interfaces is derived from their organic ties to,
and moral legitimacy with, a cross cutting matrix of ethnic and social
groups that often find themselves in conflict with each other, yet
nonetheless mutually acknowledge the moral power of Islam, and its local
authorities, to set the terms of social interaction.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 401-418 |
Journal | Conflict, Security & Development |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 3 Jul 2020 |
Keywords
- Mali
- Conflict resolution
- Religion and peacebuilding