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70 CHAPTER 1responded by sending two motorised army units, one to Hombori and Gossi andone to Douentza, to prevent the flight of the population. Although hampered bylogistical and equipment difficulties, the army was able to at least partly stopthe exodus through intimidating actions, such as test-firing weapons in Dogonvillages. At least one serious clash resulted in a significant loss of lives, whengovernment agents halted people from the Bandiagara region heading for theborder. An estimated fifty civilians died in this clash. After the events atHombori and Gao, Modibo Keita ordered certain villages to be razed to theground, and the ringleaders to be imprisoned in Kidal or Ménaka. 132Another group the US-RDA sought to curtail in its economic endeavourswere the merchants or Dioula. Many had been active US-RDA supporters in the1950s, helping party members with transportation and spreading the message ofthe US-RDA in the countryside. Now the party dismissed them as pettybourgeois allies who were no longer functional or needed. Their AOF-widetrade economy had been partly possible through the existence of a French WestAfrican common currency. On 1 July 1962, Modibo Keita announced thelaunch of the Malian Franc. The new national currency served first of all as anational marker. As Keita put it: ‘History has taught us that political power isalways and by necessity accompanied by the regal right to coin money, thatmonetary power is inseparable from national sovereignty’. 133 The new currencywas intended to serve Malian withdrawal from the monetary control of the CFAFranc zone and to allow the state to regulate its own debts in foreign currency,and hence to finance state budgetary deficits. These rose as official exportsfaltered behind plan, while state imports remained high, hence causing inflationand larger state deficits. 134 One way to curb this spiral was to exert control overthe massive private import and export business the Dioula generated withneighbouring countries, which remained partly undeclared. A national currencywould make this undeclared business impossible. On 20 July 1962 the Dioulacommunity in Bamako protested against the curtailment of their activities andthe Malian Franc. Apparently, slogans such as ‘long live France’, ‘down withthe Malian Franc’ and ‘down with Mali and its Government of infidels’ wereshouted. 135 A large number of the protesters were arrested. Fily Dabo Sissokoand Hamadoun Dicko, the former leaders of the PSP, who had not joined the132 Dr. Ali Ongoiba, director of the ANM, first brought the ‘Dogon rebellion’ to myattention. My search for information on this totally unknown event has been unfruitful,since possible informants denied its existence. Further research on thismatter is highly recommended. I am greatly indebted to Greg Mann for communicatingthe above information to me.133 L’Essor, 03/07/1962.134 Jones, W. 1976.135 L’Essor, 23/07/1962.