- A majority (56%) of Malians say they are “not very confident” or “not at all confident” that ordinary people can obtain justice in the courts.
- Fewer than half of respondents see it as “somewhat likely” or “very likely” that they could obtain a fair (45%) and timely (38%) resolution to a court case. Only 44% think they could probably afford to take a case to court.
- Only two in 10 respondents (21%) say they are aware of legal aid services that are available in their community.
- Most citizens say they would turn to a traditional leader or traditional court (32%), the police (23%), or a family member or elder (22%) to resolve a legal problem, while only 5% would look to a local court.
- A slim majority (52%) of Malians say they trust the courts “somewhat” or “a lot.” Trust in the judicial system has increased by 17 percentage points since 2020.
- About four in 10 Malians (38%) see “most” or “all” judges and magistrates as corrupt, a decrease of 25 percentage points since 2020.
- A majority (57%) of respondents say people are “often” or “always” treated unequally under the law, and almost half (46%) say judges and magistrates frequently decide cases based on the influence of powerful people rather than based on the law.
- Three-fourths (75%) of Malians say the death penalty is a fair punishment for the most serious crimes.
Access to justice forms a core tenet of the rule of law (United Nations, 2019), providing safeguards for all citizens and demanding accountability from those who wield power.
As a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Mali has committed to upholding fundamental rights and ensuring access to justice for all citizens (African Union, 2021). The country has ratified numerous international human-rights conventions, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, n.d.). Most recently, in December 2024, Mali’s transitional government promulgated a new penal code and code of criminal procedure introducing reforms aimed at strengthening access to justice and aligning the country’s legal framework with international human-rights standards (United Nations Development Programme, 2024).
Yet significant challenges persist in ensuring equitable access to justice for all citizens. Critics point to harsh prison conditions, arbitrary arrests, and limited judicial independence, among other concerns (U.S. Department of State, 2024). Human-rights organisations have documented instances of torture and ill-treatment of detainees (Human Rights Watch, 2017), and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (2025) has expressed concern about democratic reversals and a crackdown on civil society. The volatile security situation, particularly in northern and central regions, has hindered judicial operations, leaving many areas without functioning courts (Amnesty International, 2022). In 2025, Mali ranked 126th out of 143 countries on the World Justice Project’s (2024) Rule of Law Index, reflecting a perceived “expansion of authoritarian trends.”
With support from the United Nations Development Programme (2024), the government has undertaken the Support Programme for the Stabilization of Mali through the Strengthening of the Rule of Law (PROSMED) to fortify the rule of law and access to justice. The programme supports judicial modernisation, capacity building for judicial staff, and community-based mechanisms for conflict resolution, including land-dispute mediation. PROSMED contributed to the December 2024 adoption of new criminal codes and has strengthened the operational capacities of specialised judicial centres. However, Amnesty International (2022) notes that legislative and institutional reforms must be accompanied by additional resources, protection for victims and witnesses, and greater political will to address the institutional and legal barriers that deny justice to victims of serious crimes.
This dispatch reports findings from a special survey module on access to justice included in Afrobarometer’s Round 10 surveys.
Results show that a majority of Malians think ordinary people cannot obtain justice in the courts, and fewer than half think they could afford to take a case to court or obtain a fair and timely resolution. Few are aware of legal aid services available in their community.
Substantial proportions of the population mistrust the courts and see judicial corruption as widespread, although both indicators have improved significantly since 2020.
A majority of Malians say people are treated unequally under the law, and almost half say judges make decisions based on political influence rather than the law.
A majority of citizens support the death penalty for the most serious crimes.
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