Mali renames colonial French street names

Mali followed Burkina Faso and Niger on Wednesday in renaming streets and squares in its capital to get rid of their French colonial names.

Streets bearing the names of members of France's colonial administration have been rebaptised in Bamako, according to a decree by the junta chief.

Cedeao Avenue (the French acronym for the Economic Community of West African States or ECOWAS) is also now named after a new strategic confederation that Mali has formed with Burkina Faso and Niger – the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

In all, nearly 25 names have been replaced, among them boulevards, streets, squares and public establishments.

Niger renames historical sites

Niger and Burkina Faso have already made several changes to street and monument names in the last two years.

In October, Niger renamed several historic sites in its capital Niamey which previously bore references to old colonial master France.

Mali has been ruled by the military since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021.

Under Colonel Assimi Goita, Mali broke a long-standing alliance with European partners and former colonial power France, turning instead to Russia and its Wagner mercenary group for support.

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