In 2012 and 2013, Mali suffered a multidimensional crisis that led to the dismantling of the northern courts, whose cases were transferred to the High Court (Tribunal de Grande Instance (TGI)) in Commune III of Bamako.

Since a decision of February 16, 2015, the Supreme Court has restored their jurisdiction to the courts of the North. The effect of this decision is to refer sensitive cases involving human rights violations to the Mopti Court of Appeals, the High Court (TGI), the Magistrates' Courts (TGI), the Magistrates' Courts (TI), and the Justices of the Peace with Extended Jurisdiction (JPCE) within their jurisdiction, even though these courts are not yet fully operational.

The Emergency Program for the Strengthening of the Judicial System and Implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement in Mali, resulting from the Algiers Process, has the general objective of improving the quality and credibility of the judicial system. This program makes the training of justice actors a major axis of change.

The Crisis and Support Center (stabilisation mission) has planned to set up a project to fight against impunity and to support the restoration of the public justice service in the North of Mali. With this in mind, it entrusted Avocats sans frontières France with the organisation of an exploratory mission prefiguring the implementation of a project to strengthen the capacities of magistrates and improve the performance of the region's courts in the criminal field.

The mission, which took place from June 20 to 26, 2016, highlighted the difficulty in getting the northern jurisdictions up and running again, despite the investment of justice personnel and the assistance of the international community.

While an organisational effort must be made to involve all the actors in the penal chain, magistrates are the key elements of the penal process. In a difficult context of insecurity and staff shortages, ongoing training at the regional level is essential to improve the quality and speed of justice for the people of this region, which is still very much affected by the crisis.