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At the beginning of the 1960’s the former French Sudan, which became Mali after the failure of the federation project with Senegal, proclaimed its alignment with socialism just as Guinea did. Facing the issues of the “pré carré,” President Modibo Keita advocates a non-alignment policy and a reconciliation with the Soviet block, without neglecting America’s helping hand. Thus Mali became, unwillingly, a territory ruled by the Cold War dynamics. Using standard works like Odd Arne Westad or Zaki Laïdi, the aim of this article is to bring a fresh view on the history of Cold War in Africa, especially in the Sub-Saharan area.