This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to ACCORD within time constraints and in accordance with ACCORD’s methodological standards and the Common EU Guidelines for processing Country of Origin Information (COI).

This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status, asylum or other form of international protection.

Please read in full all documents referred to.

 “The Soninké, or Saracolé, live in north-west Mali, in the Sahelian zone along the Senegal River [in Kayes region, remark ACCORD]. They are descendants of the Ghana Empire that reigned from the 8th to the 11th centuries and have lived in the region for thousands of years. Traditional Soninké society is characterized by a rigid caste system. Many are merchants and travel throughout West Africa and beyond.“ (MRGI, updated June 2019)

According to a study on migration from Kayes region to France by the REACH Initiative, the Soninké are the predominant ethnic group in Kayes (REACH, March 2020, p. 2). The report further mentions that „both the Soninke and other Malians refer to the Soninke as the ‘ethnie migratoire par excellence’“ (a classic example of an ethnic group known for its migration habits) (REACH, March 2020, p. 11).

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)[1] dataset contains two incidents between 1 January and 26 June 2021 mentioning the Soninké community by name. Both incidents occurred in Kayes region. One on 7 January 2021, when Soninké Donso hunters reportedly clashed with unidentified individuals in Saboucire Waiganou, in Kayes region. Three people were reportedly killed and three more wounded in the clash (ACLED, 26 June 2021, Event ID MLI4636). A second incident on 2 May 2021 reportedly involved members from the Soninké community, who „assaulted, tortured and chased about sixty people they perceived as 'slaves by heritage' in the village of Bagamabougou“, in Kayes region (ACLED, 26 June 2021, Event ID MLI5068).

The ACLED dataset for Mali for the year 2020 contains three entries mentioning the Soninké ethnic group. All three entries concern incidents involving slavery and occurred in Kayes region:

“Around 6 October 2020 (as reported), two camps including people considered noble and another group refusing slavery by heritage from the Soninke community clashed in Tomora (Bafoulabe, Kayes). Twelve people were wounded in the fighting.“ (ACLED, 18 March 2021, MLI4352)

“On 1 September 2020, members of the Soninke community equipped with batons and knives attacked two families for refusing their status as slaves amid a land dispute in the village of Diandioume (Nioro, Kayes). Four male members of the slave descendant families were killed, others wounded including an elderly woman in critical condition, and houses vandalized.“ (ACLED, 18 March 2021, MLI4237)

“On 5 April 2020, members of the Soninke community equipped with blade weapons and sticks attacked homes belonging to seven families refusing slavery and others defending them in the village of Lany-Tounka (Kayes). Twenty people were wounded including eight severely, houses and granaries were also set ablaze.“ (ACLED, 18 March 2021, MLI3714)

Among the sources consulted by ACCORD within time constraints no further information on incidents involving ethnic Soninké or on the treatment of Soninké by other groups/actors could be found. The following search terms were used in French and English language: Racisme, racism, ethnique, ethnic, Soninké, Saracolé, discrimination, affrontements, clashes, attaque, attack, tué, killed, blessés, wounded, conflit ethnique, conflict, security, sécurité.

Below you find information regarding slavery among Soninké and/or in Kayes region.

An article published by the Blog „Africa Is a Country“ in May 2021 provides the following information regarding the practice of „slavery“, mainly among the Soninké in Kayes region:

“In 2017, the anti-slavery group, Gambana, was formed to fight systematic discrimination and violence mainly among the Soninke, an ethnic group in several West African countries. Activists denounce the anachronistic and demeaning use of the word ‚kome‘ (slave) and the worst forms of exploitation this gives way to in some settings. Their protest generated a violent backlash: since 2018 more than 3,000 Malians with ascribed ‚slave status‘ have fled slavery-related violence in the Kayes region. Activists and members of the movement have also been attacked and are threatened in several localities in the Kayes region and beyond, yet the state and global community have remained largely silent. […]

Slavery has never been criminalized in postcolonial Mali. In 2012, Mali passed a law criminalizing human trafficking. However, plans to pass a law criminalizing descent-based slavery in 2016 failed to materialize; the Malian government appears unable or unwilling to act in support of those affected by descent-based slavery. Many officials claim that victims are not ‚slaves,‘ but participants in ‚traditional‘ practices. As long as descent-based slavery is not criminalized in Mali, prosecuting slavery-related abuses will prove difficult.“ (Camara, Durst-Lee et al, 3 May 2021)

An article by France 24, a French state-owned international news television network based in Paris, describes the practice of slavery in Soninké villages in the Kayes region:

“A society built on descendent-based slavery

Though there are groups known as ‚masters‘ and ‚slaves‘ in the Kayes region, the masters do not have legal ownership of the slaves like in the United States before Emancipation. It is more like a caste system. Marie Rodet, a historian who has studied the practice of slavery in Kayes for years, calls it ‚physical, symbolic and psychological violence meant to limit another person’s liberty‘. She says the abuses can take many forms: people in the lowest class bear the title ‚slave‘ or ‚descendant of slave‘; they are not allowed to marry someone from another caste; and they cannot become village chief. In some Soninké villages, housing is segregated and there are special ‚slave quarters‘. Slaves are often forced to work for free in the masters’ fields. ‚In the case of the Soninkés in the Sahel,‘ Rodet says, ‚the masters have maintained their dominion over the so-called slaves, even though the legal framework has changed and slavery is officially banned.‘ There are no reliable statistics on the number of descent-based slaves in Mali. […]

But it is a serious risk to speak out against slavery. Many activists have ended up being beaten or tortured or had their belongings stolen, especially in Kayes, where slavery is deeply entrenched. Rodet says that the Malian government has a very limited presence in Kayes, especially since the road linking Kayes to the capital is in a terrible state. She says this may partially explain the spike in physical violence, ‚which hasn’t been seen in the region since the 1970s‘. She also says that the Soninké diaspora has really helped to give a platform to those who oppose slavery.“ (France 24, 24 September 2019)

The USDOS also mentions the practice of „hereditary slavery“ in Kayes region in its report on the human rights situation covering the year 2020:

“The antislavery organization Temedt organized workshops in the Kayes Region to convince communities to abandon the practice of keeping slaves. More than 2,000 families who were displaced in 2019 due to their refusal to be subjected to slavery practices remained displaced and continued to be prevented from farming and accessing social services in the areas of Diema, Nioro du Sahel, and Yelimane in the Kayes Region. In addition despite government negotiations that allowed for the return of 213 families to Kerouane in Kayes Region, villagers prevented the families from accessing basic needs. In September human rights organizations reported that four persons in Diandioume, circle of Nioro du Sahel, were bound, beaten, and drowned for refusing the practice of hereditary slavery. At least 95 of their family members fled or were displaced. The CNDH and other human rights organizations condemned the situation and called on the government to take action. At least 30 persons were reportedly arrested as a result.“ (USDOS, 30 March 2021, Section 6)

In July 2021 the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reports on attacks against so-called “descent-based slaves” in the region of Kayes:

“UN human rights experts today called on Mali to prevent attacks against so-called slaves, saying such incidents are on the rise, with twice as many people injured this year as in 2020. […] They were reacting an incident on 4 July when people from Makhadougou village in the eastern Kayes region tried to prevent people they considered slaves from working their fields. Using machetes and rifles, they injured 12 people, including three women uninvolved in the clash who were hit by stray bullets inside their homes. Already this year, 62 people – 57 men and five women – have been injured in violent clashes in the Kayes region, and 80 have had to flee their homes. Twice as many people – mostly so-called ‚descent-based slaves‘ – have been injured this year as in 2020. Mali outlawed slavery in 1905, but a system of ‚descent-based slavery‘ persists, where slave status is ascribed to some people because their ancestors were allegedly enslaved by the families of the so-called masters.“ (OHCHR, 19 July 2021)

In its annual report covering 2020 Amnesty International (AI) notes an incident regarding „perceived inferior social status“ in Kayes region:

“Discrimination based on caste and social status continued to be widespread, often leading to violence. In June 2018, the village chief of Diandioumé, Kayes region, evicted a family from their farmland, based on their perceived inferior social status. In September, after the judicial authorities confirmed the family’s land tenure, four individuals fighting against this discrimination were beaten to death by a local mob while three others, including an 80-year-old woman, were seriously injured. The authorities arrested 11 people suspected of being involved in the murders and judicial proceedings were ongoing at the end of the year.“ (AI, 7 April 2021)

References: (all links accessed 30 July 2021)

·      ACLED - Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project: Dataset downloaded on 18 March 2021
https://www.acleddata.com/data/

·      ACLED - Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project: Dataset downloaded on 26 June 2021
https://www.acleddata.com/data/

·      AI – Amnesty International: Amnesty International Report 2020/21; The State of the World's Human Rights; Mali 2020, 7 April 2021
https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/2048717.html

·      Camara, Bakary; Durst-Lee, Leah et al: The fight against descent-based slavery in Mali; published by Africa Is a Country, 3 May 2021
https://africasacountry.com/2021/03/the-fight-against-descent-based-slavery-in-mali

·      CIA – Central Intelligence Agency: The World Factbook, Mali, updated 26 July 2021
https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mali/

·      Encyclopædia Britannica: Soninke people, updated 31 August 2012
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Soninke

·      France 24: Video: Malian man tied up in public for opposing caste-based slavery, 24 September 2019
https://observers.france24.com/en/20190924-video-malian-man-tied-public-opposing-traditional-slavery

·      MRGI - Minority Rights Group International: Minorities and indigenous peoples in Mali, updated June 2019
https://minorityrights.org/country/mali/

·      OHCHR – UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: Mali: UN experts condemn increased attacks on ‘descent-based slaves’, deplore government’s failure to act, 19 July 2021
https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/2056410.html

·      REACH Initiative, MMC - Mixed Migration Centre: Destined to Migrate: Exploring a culture of migration in a world of migration restrictions - Kayes, Mali (March 2020) , March 2020
https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/REACH_MAL_report_destined-to-migrate_March-2020.pdf

·      UNFPA – UN Population Fund: Monographic Study on demography, peace, and security in the Sahel: case of Mali, November 2020
https://wcaro.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/en_-_monographic_study_on_demography_peace_and_security_in_the_sahel_-_case_of_mali_1.pdf

·      USDOS – US Department of State: 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Mali, 30 March 2021
https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/2048168.html