Mali

Executive summary

Cuba's medical mission in Mali spanned roughly 1973 to 2013, formalized by a 2006 Cooperation Agreement that launched Operation Miracle, before financial constraints and northern insecurity forced its gradual dissolution; brigade sizes fluctuated inconsistently across sources, from 102 in 2000 to 170 in 2009, then sharply down to 18 by 2012, suggesting inconsistent or manipulated reporting. Labor conditions reflect systemic exploitation, governed by coercive Cuban legal instruments including Resolution 368/2020, Penal Code Article 176, and Decree 306/2012, with wages under $200 monthly. In 2017, Mali's government attempted to deploy Cuban doctors as strikebreakers against unionized local physicians. Behind humanitarian branding lay a workforce bound by law, not choice. Even inactive missions leave a residue of unpaid debts to human dignity.

Mission data

Research profile