French Armed Forces
The Malian armed forces were initially formed by Malian conscript and volunteer veterans of the French Armed Forces. In the months preceding the formation of the Malian armed forces, the French Armed Forces withdrew from their bases in Mali. Among the last bases to be closed were those at Kati, on 8 June 1961, Tessalit (une "base aérienne secondaire"), on 8 July 1961, Gao ("base aérienne 163 de Gao"), on 2 August 1961, and Air Base 162 at Bamako ("base aérienne 162 de Bamako"), on 5 September 1961.