Heather Alexander of birth), which have been useful in other countries in resolving the status of unregistered persons, though it is not clear if these audiences have been used for purposes beyond criminal proceedings in Mali.112 5. Current Political Debates and Reforms In April 2019, Mali’s Prime Minister and his entire government resigned over the inability of the government to control spiralling violence following a vote of no confidence. Trust in the government has fallen from 2013, when almost half of eligible voters participated in elections, to around 30% in the 2018 presidential election. A draft constitution was approved by the National Assembly in 2017 but has not yet been enacted. The proposed constitution would create new regions in northern Mali in line with the Algiers Accord. To date, however, even the limited decentralisation proposed by the Accord has not been enacted. Current political debates in Mali include: (1) the impact of armed conflict on Mali’s nationality administration, (2) the extent of decentralisation in northern Mali, (3) the impact of migration on Mali’s nationality law and (4) the role of Islamic law in Mali’s nationality law. 5.1 The impact of armed conflict on Mali’s administration of nationality law The biggest impediment to the implementation of Mali’s laws remains armed conflict, which has only gotten worse in recent years. In March 2019, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) reported a massive spike in violence across the Sahel, including in Mali.113 While Islamic groups and organised crime continue to control much of northern Mali, central Mali has entered a new and disturbing phase of violence between herders and farmer militias. Recently, there has been an increase in violence in central Mali, with the addition of a new conflict between the Malian government and the Fulani. This emerging conflict reflects a regional growth in tension between Fulani pastoralists and various West African governments. Mali is also a regional transit country for migration and smuggling. These security challenges impact the implementation of Mali’s nationality law. Mali’s conflicts, while often presented as problems of security, land use and terrorism, are also deeply related to questions of the integration of nomadic minorities into the nationstate structure and, in particular, Mali’s highly centralised and urban-based government system. As well, questions over the parallel systems of belonging that exist in many traditional communities, including nomadic communities, continue to create tension between written Malian nationality law and the ways in which many Malians live. As a practical matter, the conflicts have greatly impeded civil registration and led to the destruction of many registries. There may be as many as a quarter of a million people displaced within Mali, a fact which complicates efforts to register births. With northern Mali under rebel control, normal government functions like the registration of births have been seriously 112 Mission Multidimensionnelle Intégrée des Nations Unis Pour la Stabilisation au Mali, « Audiences Foraines Dans la Région de Mopti » 15 juin 2015 https://minusma.unmissions.org/audiences-foraines-dans-lar%C3%A9gion-de-mopti 113 ACLED, ‘Press Release: Political Violence Skyrockets in the Sahel According to Latest ACLED data’ (2019). RSCAS/GLOBALCIT-CR 2020/11 - © 2020 Author(s) 19