Tourism at a standstill

Mali, 2012-2013

When the music changes,
then the rhythm of the dance must change also.
— Tuareg proverb

Tourism in Mali started to decline shortly after the founding of Papillon Reizen in 2010. The French government was the first to declare part of the northeast of the country as a red zone in their travel warnings. Other countries soon followed. After kidnappings in November 2011 and the start of a Tuareg rebellion in January 2012 the red zone became significantly bigger.
Timbuktu and the desert had been a favorite of many travelers; destinations that were now off limits. The idea of continuing offering tours to the south of Mali was short-lived. In March 2012 a military coup brought tourism to a standstill. Could Papillon Reizen survive with just Mali as travel destination? Or was it time to diversify?

The military coup was the result of dissatisfaction about the government’s handling of events related to the Tuareg rebellion in the north. While it may have had the intention to improve the situation in Mali, it in fact plunged the country into a further freefall. Several armed groups joined the scene, each of them with their own agenda. At times they would side with one another to reach a certain goal, only to drop their allies when it no longer suited them or when their goal had been reached. The north of the country was taken over by Tuareg rebels and so-called Islamic terrorists, battling against the Malian government and each other. Mali’s soldiers were mass-slaughtered. With outdated equipment and arms they were unable to defend themselves. Town after town became occupied territory.