Report on Citizenship Law: Mali rebellion was signed in 2015.85 The presidential election scheduled for that year was delayed until 2013; fresh elections took place in 2018, in accordance with the constitution, re-electing President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. Parliamentary elections took place in March and April 2020, but turnout was low and the vote was marred by violence. Northern Mali, however, remains disputed territory, particularly the Kidal region, while central Mali is becoming increasingly unstable, despite the presence of a UN peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA.86 The near total collapse of a functioning administration in northern Mali has effectively brought to a halt civil registration in that region, while registration in rural areas throughout the rest of Mali remains low. Most marriages continue to be performed according to customary and Islamic procedures and are not registered with the state. 87 3. The Current Nationality Regime In 2009, the government of Mali began a long and controversial programme88 to redraft both Mali’s nationality law and its family code. Women’s groups in Mali were pushing for reforms to the family code that would remove gender discrimination, while Islamic groups voiced concerns about such changes.89 A proposed new version of the Family Code was scrapped over concerns by some religious leaders.90 These changes would have affected the laws of marriage, the status of children born out of wedlock, and the rights of women and girls. The struggle between Islamic law and international law, particularly in regards to gender discrimination, is a common theme in the debate over nationality law throughout West Africa. In 2011, Mali finally adopted the new Code des personnes et de la famille, which contains the current nationality law of Mali alongside provisions relating to civil registration and to family law, brought together into a single legal code.91 Specific provisions on nationality are contained in Title V, but many other parts of the Code are relevant to nationality, including most importantly Title IV on civil registration. The 2011 Code preserved many aspects of the 1962 Code, including nationality by origin in Article 224, based both on jus sanguinis and the principle of double birth (automatic 85 Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali emanating from the Algiers Process, Bamako (20 June 2015). 86 The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali. 87 Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, concluding observations on the combined sixth and seventh periodic reports of Mali, Adopted by the Committee at its sixty-fourth session (4-22 July 2016), 2. 88 For an overview of the controversies surrounding the redrafting of Mali’s nationality and family law, see Association for Women’s Rights in Development, ‘The new Family Code of Mali and Why its Promulgation Has Been Delayed’ (26 April 2011.) 89 Ousmane Koné, « La controverse autour du code des personnes et de la famille au Mali : enjeux et stratégies des acteurs » Phd dissertation, Université de Montréal (September 2015). 90 Andrew Lebovich, ‘Sacred Struggles: How Islam shapes politics in Mali’ European Council on Foreign Relations Policy Brief (1 Nov. 2019). See also Association for Women’s Rights in Development, ‘The new Family Code of Mali and Why its Promulgation Has Been Delayed’ (26 April 2011). 20 April 2011 for an overview of the politics surrounding the family code in Mali. 91 Loi n° 11-080 portant code des personnes et de la famille, Journal Officiel de la République du Mali (J.O.R.M.) Spécial (31 Jan 2012) Titres IV, V (2011 Code). 12 RSCAS/GLOBALCIT-CR 2020/11- © 2020 Author(s)