A river will run through Mali as a 900‑kilometer maritime artery transforms the Senegal River into a high‑capacity commercial highway. Landlocked no more? A prisoner of its own geography, Mali has been tethered to the volatile and expensive road networks of its coastal neighbors since it lost access to the Atlantic in the late 19th‑century colonial carve‑ups. But this might be about to change. This month marked the official launch of the Saint‑Louis–Ambidédi corridor. The 900‑kilometer maritime