The security challenge, which prevailed in Mali from 1990 to 2000, was and still is a serious threat to social peace, security of persons and goods, political stability and economic development of the country. In view of the adverse situation, many citizens, elected local government representatives and civil society organisations have had, on several occasions, to remind government authorities, insistently, about their prime responsibilities with regard to security. But, in actual fact, the authorities and people were asking the same question: how to ensure protection against the various internal and external threats confronting the country? How to reconcile the tenets of freedom and democracy with the imperatives of national sovereignty? In other words, how to tackle the problem of insecurity without prejudice to the requirements of national sovereignty? How can the various components of the nation be involved in the management of security-related issues in the country? In short, how to incorporate the security sector into the overall democratic and developmental governance, while ensuring the people's participation, to the largest extent possible and with due respect to democratic norms? How to apply such an approach which is more efficient than force, when combined with decisive actions that are widely seen as transparent and productive? In the attempt to provide answers that work to all these questions, in 2005, the Ministry of Internal Security and Civilian Protection (MSIPC) embarked on a far-reaching think-tank process, which began with local consultations and culminated in a major national forum known as « National Conference on Security and Peace in Mali». Participants in the said forum, which took place from 21 to 23 November, 2005, made an objective diagnosis about the security conditions prevailing in the country, backed by constructive proposals, suggestions and recommendations deemed suitable 2