Which of the following contributed to the start of civil wars and mali's decline?
a. struggles over the line of succession
b. fights over different interpretations of the quran
c. family fights over control of the ivory trade
d. struggles over control of the slave trade

Struggles over the line of succession, is the right answer.

The empire of Mali was founded by Sundiata Keita around 1235 C.E when he united the tribes of the Malinke people. Over a course of time, Mali empire became stronger and took over surrounding kingdoms including the Ghana Empire. The empire began to lose its power in the 1400s ( began to lose its control along the edges of its borders) and finally collapsed in the 1600 C.E. Musa Mansa was the most famous ruler of the empire after whose death, his five sons divided what was left of the empire between them which resulted in the complete downfall of the Mali Empire.

The correct answer is A "Struggles over the line of succession". Mali was a great empire, surviving even the fall of Ghana. Mali's empire was at his best when Sundiata, the "Lion King" was his leader and later when Mansa Musa extended the territories. However Mali started to decline when Mansa Musa sons where not able to hold the empire as Songhai started to gain power over Mali.