road, railway, marine, river accidents and air crashes, etc. The consequences of this security situation are often disastrous to Africa, its populations and economy. They are, amongst others: worsening violations of human rights, increasing human suffering, declining State's authority, weakening democratic process, structural decay of the States, emergence of Non-State armed groups and war lords, increasing impoverishment of the populace and, finally, dissipation of development efforts. This is the general situation which had inevitably affected, to a large extent, the political, economic, social and cultural development of Mali in varying degrees. 2.3. Security Challenge In Mali 3 : Threats and Vulnerabilities. In Mali, a country with longstanding reputation of peaceful, stable and pacific environment, we have been experiencing, from mid '80s, a slow development of high banditry. The situation grew worse with the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, uncontrolled inflow of migrants following the crisis and armed conflicts that broke out in some neighbouring countries, inter­community tensions and conflicts, rising religious intolerance, a spate of rioteous protest movements induced by the exercise of democratic rights in public life, multiplication of road and river accidents, etc. Each one of these insecurity factors constituted and still constitutes, nowadays, a threat to social peace, security of persons and properties, as well as to the political stability of the country 4 . Ø High Banditry. Longtime considered as a societal phenomenon of western nations, common theft(burgling jewelry shops, petrol stations or banks, vehicle snatching, hostage taking, etc.) currently constitutes one of the many forms of 3 For further details, please refer to: Zeïni Moulaye, Security Democratic Governance in Mali, a Challenge to Sustainable Development, Bamako, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 2005, 197 pages. 4 Cf. « Which Orientations for the National Security Policy?»,A Paper delivered by Mahamadou Niakaté, Inspector General of Police, at the Peace and Security Convention of Mali. 29