Malian nationality law is regulated by the Constitution of Mali, as amended; the Personal and Family Code, and its revisions; and various international agreements to which the country is a signatory.

[8] Those who acquire nationality at birth include: Naturalization can be granted to persons who have resided in the territory for a sufficient period of time to confirm they understand the customs and traditions of Mali and are integrated into the society.

For the next four years, Mali began an expansion campaign forming alliances to take over the trans-Saharan trade routes and defeat the Sosso Empire in 1234.

[21] Social and political organization was based upon allegiance,[22] within geographic spheres of influence and linked networks of lineages, kinship and slaves.

Slave labor was used to produce food, and lacking kinship ties, were prized for their loyalty as royal administrators and soldiers.

[21] The Songhai expanded from their stronghold at Gao, capturing territory which stretched from Nioro du Sahel in the west to Agadez (now in Niger) on the east in the northern part of present day Mali.

[22][24][25] The Moroccans imposed a regime of suppression and violence, forcing the Songhai to labor and work on projects to develop infrastructure, like the building of roads and a citadel.

Between 1850 and 1864, Omar Saidou Tall (also known as Umar Tal) led raids into the area destroying much of the remaining African kingdoms.

[28] In 1883, they began an occupation at Bamako and expanded their campaign to the south, gaining control of important urban centers.

This provision laid the groundwork for nationality legislation based upon whether the native inhabitants were able to be assimilated by adopting European standards.

[32] From 1848, those persons who settled in the colonies and were from France were considered nationals who had full rights and were subject to French law.

[40][41] Non-citizen nationals were governed by traditional laws concerning marriage and inheritance which placed the well-being of the community above individual rights.

[42] These laws prevented a wife from being treated as a slave, required her husband to support her, and entitled her kin to a bride price, to compensate them for the loss of her fertility to their kinship group and secure the legality of the union.

[46] Clarification in the 1897 decree included that bestowing nationality by birth in French territory only applied to children born in France, restoring descent requirements for the colonies.

The language requirement could be waived for those who had received military medals or recognition of the Legion of Honor or were in the French civil service.

[51] The decree noted that married women and minor children acquired the status of their husband or father however, this was only the case if the marriage had been conducted under French law, rather than customary practice.

24 on 25 March 1915 that allowed subjects or protected persons who were non-citizen nationals and had established domicile in a French territory to acquire full citizenship, including the naturalization of their wives and minor children, by having received the cross of the Legion of Honor, having obtained a university degree, having rendered service to the nation, having attained the rank of an officer or received a medal from the French army, who had married a Frenchwoman and established a one year residency; or who had resided for more than ten years in a colony other than their country of origin.

[59] It also allowed children born in France to native-born French women married to foreigners to acquire their nationality from their mothers.

[65] At the end of World War II, a statute issued on 7 March 1944 granted French citizenship to those who had performed services to the nation, such as serving as civil servants or receiving recognitions.

[66] The Constitution of 1946 granted French citizenship to all subjects of France's territories without having to renounce their personal status as natives.

[68] It expressly applied to Algeria, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion and was extended to the Overseas Territories in 1953, but in the case of the latter had distinctions for the rights of those who were naturalized.

[75] When Keita's attempt for French Sudan to form a Pan-African federation with Dahomey, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Upper Volta, failed the country opted for independence.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child pressed for the government to make additional changes to provide greater access to registration for nomadic persons in the country.

[89] The Code retained provisions requiring illegitimate children to prove a relationship with their parents, stipulating that the administrative process must take place while the child is a minor, or they might become stateless.

[7] Because the rules on legitimacy and marriage are based on Sharia principles, children born of adulterous or incestual relationships may not be recognized, unless the parents subsequently marry.