Why is Mali considered a landlocked country?

Mali is considered a landlocked country because it is an independent sovereign state that lacks direct access to an ocean or a sea that is not landlocked.12

Situated in western Africa, Mali is entirely surrounded by land and other nations. It is bordered by seven countries: Algeria to the north, Niger and Burkina Faso to the east, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea to the south, and Senegal and Mauritania to the west. While major waterways like the Niger River and the Sénégal River flow through its interior, these rivers do not provide the country with a coastline or direct access to the Atlantic Ocean.3245