Ménaka Region

Ménaka Region is a region of Mali that was created by law in 2012 from the cercle of the same name, which had previously been part of Gao Region. Actual implementation began on 19 January 2016 with the appointment of Daouda Maïga as the region's governor, and the members of the transitional council were appointed on 14 October 2016. The region is divided into four cercles: Andéramboukane, Inékar, Tidermène and Ménaka, which is the location of the capital, also called Ménaka. It is the fifth least populated region in Mali, with a population of 318,876 in 2022, and its total fertility rate of 4.1 births per woman is lower than the Malian national average of 6.1. Ménaka is one of three Malian regions where the Tuareg are the single largest ethnic group, accounting for over 72 percent of the regional population in 2022, with minorities including the Songhai, Arabs, Bambara, Senufo and Somono. The 2022 census found that 99.67 percent of the population was Muslim.