Oumou Elkhairou Niaré Samaké

Oumou Elkhairou Niaré Samaké, a prominent Malian magistrate, has revitalized Mali’s anti-trafficking efforts by reestablishing the Trafficking in Persons Committee and spearheading the adoption of a new National Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons.

Oumou Elkhairou Niaré Samaké (Oumou), a well-known Malian magistrate, currently serves as the coordinator of Mali’s National Integrated Program for the Fight against Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime (PNIL) and as Coordinator of the National Committee for the Fight Against Trafficking in Persons and Similar Practices (CNLTPPA).  Oumou is a fierce advocate for human rights, gender-based violence, and trafficking in persons issues.  She has spearheaded Mali’s recent adoption of a new Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons; championed the development of Mali’s new draft penal code to criminalize trafficking in persons; and fought to increase prosecutions over the past year of hereditary slavery cases.

In 2020 and 2021, the Trafficking in Persons Committee became relatively inactive.  However, upon her appointment in 2022, Oumou reinvigorated Mali’s anti-trafficking efforts.  First, she reestablished regular coordination meetings and published the Trafficking in Persons Committee’s overdue 2021 and 2022 annual reports.  Next, she spearheaded the development, drafting, and adoption of Mali’s new National Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons, launched in October 2023.  She has maintained a high level standard of contacts with partners, donors, and national and international stakeholders in the fight against trafficking in persons and hereditary slavery.