Mali’s National Transitional Council (CNT) has adopted a new law on the general organization of defence and security, replacing the 2004 legislation to reflect current geopolitical and security realities.
The reform integrates internal security and cyber defence into the national security framework, clarifies the responsibilities of the President, government and relevant ministers, and places operational command under the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
It also establishes a National Security Council and a National Defence Committee to strengthen strategic coordination under the President.
The new law expands the role of local authorities, civil society and traditional leaders in civil defence and counterterrorism efforts, while assigning the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsibility for security diplomacy and international cooperation. Security Minister General Daouda Aly Mohammedine described the reform as a necessary modernization after more than two decades under the previous framework.
The legislation was adopted amid ongoing security challenges following coordinated attacks on July 4 targeting military positions in Anéfis, Gao, Aguel-Hoc, Sévaré and Kéniéroba, and continues Mali’s broader defence restructuring following the withdrawal of Operation Barkhane in 2022 and the end of the UN peacekeeping mission in 2023.
