Mali - Revision history

Admin1: /* Camouflage Patterns of Insurgent Groups */

2025-11-01T17:14:02Z

Camouflage Patterns of Insurgent Groups

Admin1: /* Camouflage Patterns of the National Police and other Government Agencies */

2025-11-01T17:05:43Z

Camouflage Patterns of the National Police and other Government Agencies

Admin1: /* Camouflage Patterns of Mali Armed Forces */

2025-10-31T17:52:12Z

Camouflage Patterns of Mali Armed Forces

Admin1: /* Camouflage Patterns of Mali */

2025-10-31T17:37:26Z

Camouflage Patterns of Mali

Admin1 at 17:35, 31 October 2025

2025-10-31T17:35:08Z

Admin1: /* Republic of Mali */

2025-10-31T17:34:50Z

Republic of Mali

Admin1: /* Republic of Mali */

2025-10-31T17:19:32Z

Republic of Mali

Admin1 at 04:14, 31 October 2025

2025-10-31T04:14:19Z

Admin1: /* Camouflage Patterns of Mali */

2025-10-30T22:21:19Z

Camouflage Patterns of Mali

Admin1: /* Camouflage Patterns of Mali */

2025-10-30T22:16:46Z

Camouflage Patterns of Mali

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 As with many insurgencies, the anti-government forces fighting in Mali were supplied by a multitude of sources, including stolen/looted materiel from the government of Mali itself, friendly governments such as [[Libya]], and friendly political/religious movements like that of Al-Queda. The vast majority of MNLA fighters wore whatever could be scrounged from sources at hand. Many wore discarded or looted Malian military uniforms, but some were supplied with camouflage patterns not found among the Malian government forces.
-* The vast majority of camouflage worn by MNLA was looted from military or police warehouses, and included Malian copies of [[chocolate chip]] desert, tricolor desert, the arid [[DPM]] pattern, and (occasionally) police blue chocolate chip. Less common were [[woodland]] copies, and other regional camouflage.
+* The vast majority of camouflage worn by MNLA (and the later CMA) was looted from military or police warehouses, and included Malian copies of [[chocolate chip]] desert, tricolor desert, the arid [[DPM]] pattern, and (occasionally) police blue chocolate chip. Less common were [[woodland]] copies, and other regional camouflage.
 [[File:mnla-mixed1.png|200px]]
 [[File:mnla-mixed2.png|200px]]
-* A commonly seen pattern among the MNLA were copies of the USMC [[MARPAT]] in both the temperate and desert color palettes. These may have been supplied by [[Libya]], but it is more likely they were sourced (fairly cheaply) through Chinese manufacturers. Use of digital patterns like these did not seem to become widespread until around 2020.
+* A commonly seen pattern among the MNLA and CMA in later years were copies of the USMC [[MARPAT]] in both the temperate and desert color palettes. These may have been supplied by [[Libya]], but it is more likely they were sourced (fairly cheaply) through Chinese manufacturers. Use of digital patterns like these did not seem to become widespread until around 2020.
 [[File:mnla-marpat1.png|200px]]

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 [[File:mali5.jpg|200px]]
 [[File:mali-wildlife.png|200px]]
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 [[File:mali-lizard2.png|200px]]
-* Some military personnel in Mali have been known to wear Asian-made copies of the US m81 [[woodland]] camouflage pattern. This design has also been documented in use with some units of the ''Police Nationale.''
+* In service since at least 1990, military personnel in Mali are known to wear a number of different Asian-made copies of the US m81 [[woodland]] camouflage pattern, some with slightly different color palettes. This design has also been documented in use with units of the ''Police Nationale.''
 [[File:china34.jpg|200px]]
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 [[File:mali-woodland.png|200px]]
-* A three-color desert [[DPM]] derivative camouflage pattern, having dark brown and dark green disruptive shapes on a sandy background is one of the more commonly worn patterns seen today.
+* A copy of the US tricolor desert camouflage pattern has also been worn by Malian forces since the early 2000s. At least some of these uniforms were likely provided by [[USA|American]] Military Training Teams from US Army Special Forces, a common practice when visiting foreign countries. Additionally, French-style uniforms in tricolor desert camouflage have been worn by personnel of the ground forces and the ''gendarmerie nationale'' since at least 2018, and well into the present era.
 [[File:mali3.jpg|200px]]
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 [[File:mali-ariddpm.png|200px]]
-* A copy of the US tricolor desert camouflage pattern has also been worn by Malian forces since the early 2000s. At least some of these uniforms were likely provided by [[USA|American]] Military Training Teams from US Army Special Forces, a common practice when visiting foreign countries. Additionally, French-style uniforms in tricolor desert camouflage have been worn by personnel of the ground forces and the ''gendarmerie nationale'' since at least 2018, and well into the present.
+* A copy of the [[France|French]] military ''Centre Europe'' "woodland" pattern is also worn by personnel of the armed forces since 2010 or so. Use of this design, in both older sateen and contemporary ripstop NYCO, has continued into the present era. In fact, this seems to be the standard issue camouflage uniform of both the Ground Forces and the Gendarmerie.
 [[File:Gabon2.jpg|200px]]
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 [[File:mali-afdpm.png|200px]]
-* The ''Garde Nationale du Mali'' (National Guard), has been documented wearing a copy of the six-color [[chocolate chip]] camouflage pattern originally designed by the [[USA]]. Not surprisingly, it appears more than one version of the pattern has been fielded, having a slightly darker or lighter color palette, depending on the origins of the fabric.
+* Tracing its history to the French colonial ''corps des gardes indigènes à pied'' (Corps of Native Foot Guards), established in 1894, the unit later became the ''Garde Autonome du Mali,'' and the ''Garde Républicaine et goum'' (Republican Guard) upon independence in 1971. Today known as the ''Garde Nationale du Mali'', this unit has worn a copy of the six-color [[chocolate chip]] camouflage pattern originally designed by the [[USA]] since around 2010. Not surprisingly, it appears more than one version of the pattern has been fielded, having a slightly darker or lighter color palette, depending on the origins of the fabric.
 [[File:mali10.jpg|200px]]
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 [[File:mali-chocchip.png|200px]]
-* Members of the Gendarmerie have worn a variation of the six-color "chocolate chip" pattern desert camouflage with blue colorway, somewhat similar to that worn by [[Kuwait]] and [[Saudi Arabia]]. This version has black & white "chip" elements, printed over larger swaths of dark blue-grey, medium grey, light blue-grey, and pale blue. Some variability has been observed in print production of the pattern over the years, including earlier prints where the medium grey is more of a tan or even pinkish color.
+* Members of the Gendarmerie have worn a variation of the six-color "chocolate chip" pattern desert camouflage with blue colorway, somewhat similar to that worn by [[Kuwait]] and [[Saudi Arabia]]. This version has black & white "chip" elements, printed over larger swaths of dark blue-grey, medium grey, light blue-grey, and pale blue. Some variability has been observed in print production of the pattern over the years, including earlier prints where the medium grey is more of a tan or even pinkish color. Use of this pattern dates back to at least 2012, possibly earlier.
 [[File:mali7.jpg|200px]]
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 [[File:malicommando.jpg|200px]]
-* Some Malian Armed Forces personnel have been documented wearing a copy of the [[Italy|Italian]] ''vegetato'' camouflage design, circa 2017, although it may have been adopted earlier.
+* Some Malian Armed Forces personnel have been documented wearing a copy of the [[Italy|Italian]] ''vegetato'' camouflage design since at least 2016, although it may have been adopted earlier.
 [[File:mali6.jpg|200px]]

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 The Malian Army (Armées Maliennes) was created on 1 October 1960 and initially relied very heavily on training and support from the [[USSR]]. Today is it known as the ''Forces Armées Maliennes'' (FAMa) or Armed Forces of Mali, and consists of the Land Forces ''(Armée de terre),'' Air Force ''(Armée de l'air),'' the National Guard (''Garde nationale,'' known as the ''Garde républicaine'' from 1971 until 1994), and the ''Gendarmerie nationale'' Conventional law enforcement is the responsibility of the ''Police Nationale du Mali,'' which is administered by the Ministry of Internal Security and Civil Protection; the Police also share responsibility for internal security with the Gendarmerie.
-== Camouflage Patterns of Mali ==
+== Camouflage Patterns of Mali Armed Forces ==
 * The oldest documented camouflage pattern in use with Mali's armed forces is a copy of the [[France|French]] ''tenue de leópard'' or [[lizard]] pattern, generally printed on heavy cotton sateen or HBT fabric, which can be traced by to at least the mid-1970s. These earlier designs are fairly accurate copies of the "F1" French pattern, although they appear to have been replaced by less accurate designs in the 1990s. Uniforms were largely of French design, both copies of the TAP 47/56 and the Mle 64 F1.
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 [[File:mali-afdpm.png|200px]]
-* The ''Garde Nationale du Mali'' (National Guard), a separate branch of service (formerly known as the Republican Guard), has been documented wearing a copy of the six-color [[chocolate chip]] camouflage pattern originally designed by the [[USA]]. Not surprisingly, it appears more than one version of the pattern has been fielded, having a slightly darker or lighter color palette, depending on the origins of the fabric.
+* The ''Garde Nationale du Mali'' (National Guard), has been documented wearing a copy of the six-color [[chocolate chip]] camouflage pattern originally designed by the [[USA]]. Not surprisingly, it appears more than one version of the pattern has been fielded, having a slightly darker or lighter color palette, depending on the origins of the fabric.
 [[File:mali10.jpg|200px]]
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 [[File:mali13.png|200px]]
 [[File:maligendarmerie.jpg|200px]]
 * Members of the 33rd Para-Commando Regiment were first observed in 2013 wearing a [[woodland]]-style camouflage design with a brown/tan colorway, seen here.
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 [[File:China2.jpg|200px]]
 [[File:mali-07gobi.png|200px]]
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← Older revision		Revision as of 17:35, 31 October 2025
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	The Malian Army (Armées Maliennes) was created on 1 October 1960 and initially relied very heavily on training and support from the [[USSR]]. Today is it known as the ''Forces Armées Maliennes'' (FAMa) or Armed Forces of Mali, and consists of the Land Forces ''(Armée de terre),'' Air Force ''(Armée de l'air),'' the National Guard (''Garde nationale,'' known as the ''Garde républicaine'' from 1971 until 1994), and the ''Gendarmerie nationale'' Conventional law enforcement is the responsibility of the ''Police Nationale du Mali,'' which is administered by the Ministry of Internal Security and Civil Protection; the Police also share responsibility for internal security with the Gendarmerie.		The Malian Army (Armées Maliennes) was created on 1 October 1960 and initially relied very heavily on training and support from the [[USSR]]. Today is it known as the ''Forces Armées Maliennes'' (FAMa) or Armed Forces of Mali, and consists of the Land Forces ''(Armée de terre),'' Air Force ''(Armée de l'air),'' the National Guard (''Garde nationale,'' known as the ''Garde républicaine'' from 1971 until 1994), and the ''Gendarmerie nationale'' Conventional law enforcement is the responsibility of the ''Police Nationale du Mali,'' which is administered by the Ministry of Internal Security and Civil Protection; the Police also share responsibility for internal security with the Gendarmerie.
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	== Camouflage Patterns of Mali ==		== Camouflage Patterns of Mali ==

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 The government of Mali was shaken up again in August 2020, when a coup d'etat against president Keïta established retired Air Force officer Bah Ndaw as new interim president. Ndaw was removed from office by the same military junta in May 2021, due to disagreements over whether the government of Mali should seek military assistance from [[France]] or [[Russia]]. Subsequently, mercenary forces from the Wagner Group began operating on behalf of the junta, resulting in a number of civilian deaths and the withdrawal of French, Canadian, and other European partner forces in February 2022. MINUSMA was officially dissolved on 30 June 2023. The government of Mali remains under control of a military junta led by General Assimi Goïta, which has dissolved all political parties and effectively established him as president for life. The Algiers Accords were terminated by the government in January 2024, after open conflict was renewed by elements of the CMA and the Platform of Self-Defense Movements ''(Plateforme des mouvements du 14 juin 2014 d'Alger)'' over atrocities committed by the Wagner Group and the Malian junta. Since November 2024, the anti-government forces still waging war against the Malian government consist of the Azawad Liberation Front (ⵜⴰⴶⴰⵉⵜ ⵢⵏ ⵢⵙⵢⵍⵢⵍⵓ ⴰⵣⴰⵓⴰⴷ), the Coordination of Inclusivity Movements (Coordination des mouvements de l'inclusivité), and the Arab Movement of Azawad (الحركة العربية الأزوادية); Islamist elements effectively stopped operating on a major scale in the region in 2019.
-The Malian Army was formed
+The Malian Army (Armées Maliennes) was created on 1 October 1960 and initially relied very heavily on training and support from the [[USSR]]. Today is it known as the ''Forces Armées Maliennes'' (FAMa) or Armed Forces of Mali, and consists of the Land Forces ''(Armée de terre),'' Air Force ''(Armée de l'air),'' the National Guard (''Garde nationale,'' known as the ''Garde républicaine'' from 1971 until 1994), and the ''Gendarmerie nationale'' Conventional law enforcement is the responsibility of the ''Police Nationale du Mali,'' which is administered by the Ministry of Internal Security and Civil Protection; the Police also share responsibility for internal security with the Gendarmerie.
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 The present day Republic of Mali ''(République du Mali)'' was once part of the Ghana Empire, one of the Sahelian kingdoms that controlled trans-Saharan trade routes from the 8th to 11th centuries. The Mali Empire (1230s to 1600) spread from the West African coast to present day Mali, with its center of trade and learning at Timbuktu. Mali fell under French control in the 19th century, when it was considered a part of French Sudan. After joining briefly with Senegal (which withdrew shortly thereafter) to form the Mali Federation, the nation achieved its independence from France on 20 June 1960. After Mali's first president was overthrown in a bloodless coup, Mali was governed as a military regime until 1991 when a brief coup and transitional government brought about a new constitution and a democratically elected government.
 The Armed Forces of Mali consist of the Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, National Guard (formerly the Republican Guard), and the National Police ''(Sûreté Nationale).''
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 == Camouflage Patterns of Mali ==

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 [[File:mali-ariddpm.png|200px]]
-* A copy of the US tricolor desert camouflage pattern has also been worn by Malian forces since the early 2000s. At least some of these uniforms were likely provided by [[USA|American]] Military Training Teams from US Army Special Forces, a common practice when visiting foreign countries. However, French-style uniforms in tricolor desert camouflage have also been worn by personnel of the ''gendarmerie nationale'' since at least 2018, and well into the present.
+* A copy of the US tricolor desert camouflage pattern has also been worn by Malian forces since the early 2000s. At least some of these uniforms were likely provided by [[USA|American]] Military Training Teams from US Army Special Forces, a common practice when visiting foreign countries. Additionally, French-style uniforms in tricolor desert camouflage have been worn by personnel of the ground forces and the ''gendarmerie nationale'' since at least 2018, and well into the present.
 [[File:usa9.jpg|200px]]

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 [[File:mali-tricolor.png|200px]]
-* A copy of the [[France|French]] military ''Centre Europe'' "woodland" pattern is also worn by personnel of the armed forces. Use of this design, in both older sateen and contemporary ripstop NYCO, has continued into the present era.
+* A copy of the [[France|French]] military ''Centre Europe'' "woodland" pattern is also worn by personnel of the armed forces. Use of this design, in both older sateen and contemporary ripstop NYCO, has continued into the present era. In fact, this seems to be the standard issue camouflage uniform of both the Ground Forces and the Gendarmerie.
 [[File:Gabon2.jpg|200px]]