Mali (Principia Moderni IV Map Game)

Mali, officially the French Republic of Mali, or French Mali for short, is a collection of states located in Eastern Africa and the Saharan Desert controlled by the French Republic. Founded in 1861 after the French colonization of Mali, it is an authoritarian presidential republic, in which the President (or Colonial President as documented in France) holds absolute executive power over the entirety of the state, with the Congress (or French Senior Council of Mali in France) holding absolute control over the legislation and semi-judicial powers. The official language of Mali is French and Maninka. The official religions of Mali are Christianity, Islam, and Kuzirism, with Kuzirism and Islam being practiced by 92% of the republic.

Pre-colonial history
Prior to the French colonization of Mali, Mali had been subjugated into a semi-tribunal state of the Maghreb Sultanate following the Maghrebian-Mali War of 1734, which concurrently would result in the Rape of Mali and the deaths of 500,000 citizens between 1734 and 1736. Following these wars, Mali had become subject to the ‘African Dark Ages’, in which the national progress of the state remained “frozen in time” and there was a general lack of recorded and catalogued history.

Colonization of Mali
As a way of attempting to increase the economy through the priced distribution of raw and rare materials, Mali had gone under the French telescope for colonization, as the recorded information on Mali and other Eastern African states is that they had large amounts of gold and other rare resources. In 1861, France would send a total of 5,000 men shipped via it’s entire navy at the time (which consisted of 7 second-level battleships and 11 frigates) to attempt and seize the Kingdom. Due to the back-to-back losses France had faced in Europe during the Eight Years War and the Great European War, it became almost necessary for France to win a war or two in an attempt to sway public opinion over the recent losses that resulted in over 500,000 deaths.

The 5,000 men would end up going against ~100,000 Malian troops, being assisted by the most modern artillery units at the time as well as it’s entire navy blockading the relatively small amount of land that Mali had that allowed it to be bordering the Atlantic Ocean. The war would only last five months before the Siege of Kangaba and the surrendering of the King of Mali. Following this decisive victory and the lack of resources needed to fully catipulate the Malian forces, this victory would ultimately shape France’s imperial vision towards Africa and influence it’s later colonization methods in Africa.

Due to the small amount of time that was needed to defeat the Malian forces and the quick capitulation of Mali, the military commander that had directed the invasion, Eric Collard, would rise into presidentship due to his success in directing the troops into battle and subjugating the state. Under his rule, he would begin the controversial “forced labor” initiative in Mali after the discovering of gold mines. After another 25,000 troops had been sent down to help against any possible rebellions, Mali natives would find themselves being forced into the labor mines in search of gold and other resources that had potential value.

On 16 November 1861, the first shipment of freshly mined gold would arrive in the ports of Bordeaux, France.

Government
The nearest official government form that could describe French Mali would be an authoritarian presidential republic, in which the President holds overall authority over the executive power, and in relation holds the “will” of the people. The President controls all means of production and general society, and has so far used it as a means of exploitation and societal slavery. The President holds the power to decree laws proposed by the Congress to be invalid, unless said otherwise by the French President.

The Congress, or French Senior Council of Mali, controls all legislative powers and holds specific semi-judicial powers. In terms of legislative, the Congress has the ability to propose laws and other forms of legal regulations. Judicially, the Congress has the power to decide the sentencing of citizens that attempt any form of rebellion or revolution that occurs under the state.