That was until March, when a group of soldiers toppled the government, which it accused of not providing adequate equipment to battle ethnic Tuareg rebels roaming the vast desert in the North.
The then-President Amadou Toumani Toure disappeared from sight.
The Tuareg rebels took advantage of the power vacuum and seized parts of the North. They have always wanted independence, and have staged several rebellions since the 1960s.
After Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was killed in October 2011 and Libya plunged into chaos, Tuaregs, who had fought by his side, took weapons to Mali to ramp up their efforts.
A power struggle erupted between the Tuaregs and local al Qaeda-linked radicals, who prevailed and seized control of two-thirds of northern Mali, an area the size of France.
The international community is also worried that al Qaeda's North African wing is expanding into Mali.
U.S. officials have said that the wing, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, is linked to the deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three others.
Tuareg rebels have retreated from the well-armed militants, but have vowed to fight back and establish their own country in the North, which they call Azawad.
West African states and international leaders say a rapid military intervention is essential to solving the security crisis.
When soldiers seized the capital in March, the regional and international powers put pressure on them to restore democratic rule.
Sanogo conceded and transferred power in April to Dioncounda Traore, after he was put forward by ECOWAS. Traore appointed Diarra as interim prime minister.
Traore fled to a Paris hotel after being beaten unconscious in a May 21 attack that occurred in the presidential palace.
Diarra took over the country's leadership until Traore returned.
As the world seeks a solution to the crisis, the Islamist militants are busy applying their strict interpretation of Sharia law, including the banning of music, smoking, drinking and watching sports on television.
They also publicly stoned a couple to death in July for reportedly having an affair.
Public executions, amputations, floggings and other inhumane punishments are becoming common, the United Nations says.
At least four times this year, the militants have attacked Timbuktu's historic tombs and shrines, claiming the relics are idolatrous. The picturesque city was once an important destination for Islamic scholars for its ancient and prominent burial sites and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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