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122 CHAPTER 3incorporation in the Malian state, just as these chiefs themselves were partlyhostile to that same state. Enhancing hostility while losing control was judged abad strategy at that moment.After independence the new Malian administration set out on an activepolicy to modernize society by undoing parts of the administrative colonialheritage. Paradoxically, to do so, part of the colonial structure was now formalisedby law. The new regime believed that in ‘traditional African society’the village had been the pivot of society, and therefore proclaimed the village tobe the basic unit of Malian political, economical and administrative organization.In nomad society, the new regime saw the fraction, an essentially colonialadministrative structure that had the same administrative status as the village, asthe basic ‘traditional organization’. Thus, officially, the nomad tribu was dissolvedas an administrative entity in 1960, and its place was taken over by thefraction. 13 What happened was that former tribus were now referred to asfractions, and fractions were officially referred to as sous fractions: Subfractions.Unofficially however, the tribes, the fractions and their chiefs werestill used by local administrators in day-to-day rule. The main difference wasthat the Commandant de Cercle now directly appointed the chefs de fraction.The tasks of the fraction chief were largely extended, surpassing even the tasksthe tribal chief had formerly fulfilled. He was made responsible for the controlof land use and land tenure, the management of collective goods (all means ofproduction were eventually to become collective), the handling of economicproblems in the interest of the fraction, general policing, the maintenance ofpublic order, the protection of goods and persons, rural policing, the protectionof crops and herds, and the administration of his fraction. However, despitetheir direct appointment by the Government, the fraction chiefs were also seenas potential ‘feudal oppressors’. Their power was to be checked by the fractioncouncils (conseils de fraction), who were elected by the fraction members.These fraction councils were inaugurated as early as 1957, and legally installedin 1959. 14 The new regime created political structures at fraction level too: Thefraction committees (comités de fraction) were to give shape to the party and itsactivities in this smallest of socio-political groups. These two structures – bothcouncil and committee – remained largely ineffective, just as the cooperatives1314This is based on the knowledge that the Malian administration wanted to abolish thetribes, and a document stating the abolishment of the tribe Taghat Mellet by decreeno 537/DI-2 of 10 August 1960, dated 07/03/1962, signed by the Governor of Gao.ACK.Loi No. 59-6/AL, modifiant l’ordonnance No. 43 du 28 Mars 1959, portant organisationdes villages et des conseils de village. ACK.