In the far north, there is a division between Berber-descendent Tuareg nomad populations and the darker-skinned Bella or Tamasheq people, due the historical spread of slavery in the region. An estimated 800,000 people in Mali are descended from slaves. Slavery in Mali has persisted for centuries. The Arabic population kept slaves well into the 20th century, until slavery was suppressed by French authorities around the mid-20th century. There still persist certain hereditary servitude relationships, and according to some estimates, even today approximately 200,000 Malians are still enslaved. COUNT 5
QSN1 Roughly how many Malians are descendants of slaves? ANS1 800,000 QSN2 What is the estimate of current Mali enslavement? ANS2 200,000 QSN3 What group of people were known to keep Malian salves into the 20th century? ANS3 Arabic population QSN4 The darker skinned Bella people are also refereed to as what name? ANS4 Tamasheq QSN5 What region of the country is historical slavery well known? ANS5 far north