Relationship dossier
Mali
Senegal
Relationship assessment
Longstanding transit links and renewed diplomacy coexist with tensions over ECOWAS sanctions and Mali’s withdrawal.
Mali toward Senegal
+15Mali has maintained diplomatic engagement with Senegal, including receiving Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye in 2024 for talks on regional relations. Mali’s withdrawal from ECOWAS has nevertheless complicated Senegal’s efforts to maintain regional dialogue.
Senegal toward Mali
+10Senegal participated in ECOWAS sanctions against Mali in January 2022, a source of strain in bilateral relations. In 2024, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye visited Mali and pursued diplomatic engagement amid Mali’s departure from ECOWAS.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship combines durable transit and economic connections with periodic regional-political friction. Senegal’s participation in ECOWAS sanctions against Mali was a significant source of strain, while the 2024 presidential visit reflected renewed efforts to sustain dialogue. The known pattern is one of practical connection and diplomatic engagement rather than an unqualified partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Mali and Senegal have longstanding economic and transit links, including the Dakar–Bamako rail corridor, and have engaged diplomatically on regional affairs. Relations have also been affected by Senegal’s participation in ECOWAS sanctions against Mali in 2022. Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s 2024 visit to Mali signaled renewed diplomatic engagement amid differences over Mali’s departure from ECOWAS.
Areas of tension
- Senegal’s participation in ECOWAS sanctions against Mali in 2022.
- Mali’s withdrawal from ECOWAS and the resulting challenge to regional cooperation.
Key developments
Mali and Senegal were constituent members of the Mali Federation, which dissolved in 1960.
ECOWAS imposed sanctions on Mali, with Senegal participating in the regional measures.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye visited Mali and held talks on regional relations.
Major uncertainties
- The present scope and implementation of bilateral transport and economic arrangements are unclear.
- The extent of follow-up cooperation after the 2024 diplomatic engagement is uncertain.