With ethnic violence and attacks still regularly occurring, security will be a main issue as Malians head to the polls. Incumbent Ibrahim Boubacar Keita will be competing against 23 other candidates for the office.
Current President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, known as IBK, is looking to secure a second term in office, but faces competition from over a dozen other candidates.
What you need to know about the vote:
A total 24 candidates are in the running for the presidency. One woman is among the candidates, businesswoman Kante Djeneba N'diaye.
The race is likely to be close between President Keita and opposition leader Soumaila Cisse, who previously served as finance minister.
Over 8 million out of Mali's 18 million inhabitants are registered to vote in some 23,000 polling stations across the country.
Polling stations open at 0800 GMT and will close at 1800. Results are expected within five days.
If no candidate gets over 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election will be held on August 12.
Malians to elect new president
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Security and education main issues: Keita is hoping to secure a second five-year presidential term following Sunday's vote and no sitting president has ever lost a re-election bid in Mali. However, the 71-year-old's popularity has dropped sharply since the 2013 election, with opponents criticizing him for perceived incompetence on security issues.
During his campaign, Keita sought to emphasize the achievement of a 2015 peace agreement between the Malian government, government-allied groups and former Tuareg rebels to combat jihadi fighters in the northern part of the country.
His main opponent, Cisse, is vying for the presidency for a third time after losing out by a large margin to Keita in the 2013 runoff election. During his campaign, the 68-year-old focused on boosting education and healthcare as a way of combatting poverty and extremism.
Opponents have criticized current President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's security recordImage: Reuters/A. Sotunde
Ongoing violence: Violence continues to be a problem in Mali, as separatist and jihadi groups regularly carry out attacks in the north. Over 11,000 security personnel have been deployed to ensure the vote can take place in the more conflict-stricken areas of the country.
Some 15,000 UN peacekeepers and 4,500 French troops are stationed in Mali as well as the G5 Sahel, a five-nation anti-terror force. The country's state of emergency will enter its fourth year in November.
rs/rc (AFP, dpa)
UN peacekeeping missions in Africa
MONUSCO is the biggest and most expensive UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is only one of the many other African countries where the "blue helmets" are intervening.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/S. Mohamed
DR Congo: UN's largest mission
Since 1999, the UN has been trying to pacify the eastern region of the DR Congo. The mission known as MONUSCO has nearly 20,000 soldiers and an annual budget of $1.4 billion (1.3 billion euros). Despite being the largest and most expensive mission of the United Nations, violence in the country continues.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kappeler
Darfur: Powerless against violence
UNAMID is a joint mission of the African Union and the UN in Sudan's volatile Darfur region. Observers consider the mission a failure. "The UN Security Council should work harder at finding political solutions, rather than spending money for the military's long-term deployment," says security expert Thierry Vircoulon.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. G. Farran
S.Sudan: Turning a blind eye to fighting?
Since the beginning of South Sudan's civil war in 2013, nearly 4 million people have been displaced according to the UN. Some of them are being sheltered in UN compounds. But when clashes between government forces and rebels broke out in the capital Juba in July 2016, the blue helmets failed to effectively intervene. Later, the Kenyan UNMISS commander was sacked by former UN chief Ban Ki-moon.
Image: Getty Images/A.G.Farran
Mali: The most dangerous UN mission in the world
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Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kappeler
CAR: Sexual abuse scandals making headlines
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Image: Sia Kambou/AFP/Getty Images
Western Sahara: Hope for lasting peace
The UN mission in the Westsahara known as MINURSO has been active since 1991. MINURSO is there to monitor the armistice between Morocco and the rebels of the "Frente Polisario" who are fighting for the independence of the Western Sahara. In 2016, Morocco which has occupied this territory since 1976, dismissed 84 MINURSO staff after being angered by a statement from the UN Secretary-General.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Senna
Ivory Coast: Peaceful end of a mission
The UN mission in Ivory Coast fulfilled its objectives on June 30, 2016 after 14 years. Since 2016, the troops have been gradually withdrawn. Former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said this was a "turning point for the United Nations and the Ivory Coast." But only after the full withdrawal will it be clearly known whether or not the mission was successful on a long-term basis.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/I. Sanogo
Liberia: Mission accomplished
The UN deployment in Liberia is - as in neighboring Ivory Coast - will soon be history. The soldiers are leaving by mid-2017. Since the end of the 14-year civil war, UNMIL has ensured stability in Liberia and helped build a functioning state. Liberia's government now wants to provide security for itself. The country is still struggling with the consequences of a devastating Ebola epidemic.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Nietfeld
Sudan: Ethiopians as peace promoters?
The UNISFA soldiers are patrolling the disputed oil-rich region of Abyei. Sudan and South Sudan both claim to be rightful owners of this territory located between the two countries. More than 4,000 blue helmets from Ethiopia are deployed. Ethiopia is the world's second largest peace-keeping contributor. At the same time, the Ethiopian army is accused of human rights violations back home.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. G. Farran
Somalia: Future model AU mission?
UN peacekeepers in Somalia are fighting under the leadership of the African Union in a mission known as AMISOM. The soldiers are in the Horn of African country to battle the al-Shabaab Islamists and bring stability to the war-torn nation. Ethiopia, Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria have all contributed their troops for AMISOM.
