Looks like they're on the verge of taking over half the country. This could cause major instability in the region.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/03/20123208133276463.html
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F7%2F7b%2FAzawad_Tuareg_rebellion_2012.svg%2F629px-Azawad_Tuareg_rebellion_2012.svg.png&hash=db30e59b5a1eeb72d2d9e81271734bc9336aefc3)
QuoteMali's Tuareg rebellion: What next?
The return of an estimated 2,500 well-armed Tuareg fighters from Libya to Mali has led to a new rebellion.
Last Modified: 20 Mar 2012 12:59
London, United Kingdom - March 17 marked two months since the first shots were fired in Mali's latest Tuareg rebellion. Since then, Mali's army has been humiliated as the country now faces a real possibility of territorial division.
The Tuareg number an estimated two to three million. Nomadic pastoralists by tradition, they occupy a vast swathe of the Sahara and Sahel, from Libya, through northern Niger, southern Algeria and northern Mali to Burkina Faso. The largest number, estimated at approaching one million, live in Mali. The post-colonial history of Tuareg in both Mali and Niger has been characterised by a series of rebellions, the underlying causes of which have been the Tuaregs' marginalisation and the failure of their governments to adhere to peace agreements. Mali has experienced major Tuareg rebellions in 1962-64, 1990-95 and 2007-2009.
The catalyst for the present rebellion was the return of an estimated two to three thousand experienced well-armed Tuareg fighters who had served in Gaddafi's battalions. Their anger at events in Libya was compounded by the lackadaisical attitude and the complete failure of Mali's President Amadou Toumani Toure and his government to address the problems created by their return.
Estimates of the number of returning Tuareg fighters range between 800 and 4,000. On their return to Mali, many stopped short of Kidal in the mountainous region around Ti-n-Asselak in the Abeibara district where they linked up with the fighters of former rebel leader Ibrahim ag Bahanga's (who died in August 2011) Mouvement Touareg du Nord Mali (MTNM). On October 16, these and various other groups merged to form the Mouvement National de Liberation de l'Azawad (MNLA).
'Illegal occupation'
The MNLA's first press statement said that it aimed "to free the people of Azawad from the illegal occupation of its territory by Mali". Azawad is the Tuareg name for the region north of Timbuktu that today covers the regions of Timbuktu, Kidal and Gao. The word is also used, by extension, to include the traditional Tuareg domains of northern Niger and southern Algeria. Within a few weeks, the MNLA was reinforced by Tuareg deserting the Mali army and young recruits from within the region. Estimates put the former as high as 1,500 and the latter at 500.
After two months of fighting, the Malian army has lost control of most of Azawad, while the number of troops that have either been killed, taken captive or deserted is now thought to be at least 1,000. In a humiliating incident, the army base at Aguelhok was overrun on January 24 when the troops defending it ran out of ammunition.
However, from a strategic point of view, the most significant fighting was at Tessalit. Close to the border with Algeria and with an army base and airport, Tessalit is a strategic town. By March 4, three Malian army units abandoned their attempts to relieve the MNLA siege of the base. A week later, the troops retreated to Algeria, leaving the base and the airport in MNLA control. The number of soldiers killed, taken captive or deserted, along with equipment destroyed or captured in these twin setbacks is thought to be considerable.
The two outstanding questions are: (1) Where do the MNLA and Mali go from here; and (2) Is the MNLA guilty of the "war crime" of which it is being accused by the Mali government?
It is conceivable that further attacks on the highly vulnerable, nomadic civilian population, may bring the rebels to submission, as has been the case in previous Tuareg rebellions. It is also conceivable that the Malian government's undercover militias, ethnic hatred campaigns, military in civilian clothing acting in mobs shouting "death to the Tuaregs" and internet propaganda might succeed in opening cleavages within the complex political, ethnic and social mix that comprises the totality of the Azawad population.
However, the signs are that the rebellion is capable of sustaining itself for much longer, especially if the MNLA receives support from Niger's well-armed and battle-experienced Tuareg, as unverified reports suggest. With Tessalit in MNLA hands, it may be difficult for the army to regain any momentum. The future of Bamako's control over the vast expanse of Azawad now depends almost entirely on whether the dispirited and ill-led Malian army can repulse the MNLA assault - if and when it comes - on the regional capital of Kidal.
If Kidal falls, then much of the current media talk about a negotiated ceasefire will be largely academic. The reality of such a situation would be that Mali would have become a divided territory, a situation that would not only seriously concern Mali's neighbours, but also leave the MNLA in a very strong bargaining position. The MNLA says it won't negotiate unless it is about the Republic of Azawad. However, even with the model of southern Sudan in its sights, the MNLA knows from past experience that demands for independence will get watered down. It is therefore likely to establish the facts on the ground, in the form of the capture of Kidal and possibly even Gao, before contemplating any such negotiations.
If the MNLA does establish such a strong negotiating position, there is no certainty that the current Mali government will still be around to negotiate with. Since early March, there have been rumours of fissions within the Mali government and even talk of a Gao-based coup d'etat. Moreover, while it is all very well for Bamako to debate whether military force or negotiation is the solution, the reality may well be that the former is not an option.
Guilty of a 'war crime'?
The second question is whether the MNLA is guilty of the war crime. The government claims that the MNLA executed 82 captured soldiers and civilians at Aguelhok (pop. 8,000-10,000) on January 24.
There is no doubt that many people were killed at Aguelhok. A Mali security source told Reuters that dozens of Malian troops were killed. "It was real carnage," he said. An MNLA spokesman confirmed that at least 50 soldiers were killed in the fighting. Government sources have put the number higher, at 82 and 97.
News of the deaths was quickly followed by rumours that the troops stationed in Aguelhok had run out of ammunition. Not surprisingly, public demonstrations immediately demanded to know why soldiers had been sent into battle so ill-equipped. Within forty-eight hours, reports began circulating that many of the soldiers had been taken captive by the rebels and then executed, either with a bullet to the head or by slitting their throats. The defence ministry stated that the attack had been undertaken by "AQIM jihadis, MNLA forces and others".
After a hasty commission of enquiry, the army stated that both soldiers and civilians had been executed, some with their throats cut and that these acts could only have been done by AQIM. Speaking earlier the same day, French Development Minister Henri de Raincourt, who visited Bamako, said "there was absolutely atrocious and unacceptable violence in Aguelhok. There were summary executions of soldiers and civilians... There's talk of around 100 who were captured and killed in cold blood," he added, saying the tactic "resembled that used by al-Qaeda".
If captured soldiers were executed, as the Mali government claims, then it was a war crime. But, was such a war crime committed and, if so, by whom?
The government's evidence consists of little more than its own assertions and photographs of dubious authenticity. Photographs of the supposed killings placed on Facebook and the internet by Mali government "supporters" at the end of January have been removed. However, five of them remain accessible, with one identified by the MNLA as being of a massacre undertaken by Boko Haram in Nigeria on March 2, 2010; the authenticity of the other four has not yet been established. The MNLA's communications officer has confirmed that they are not of Aguelhok. International news agencies remain suspicious of their authenticity.
Until a credible international agency undertakes a full examination of the incident, including the exhumation and forensic examination of the bodies, the executions must remain unproven allegations.
However, if we accept, for the time being, that a war crime was perpetrated at Aguelhok, the question still remains: Who was responsible for it?
Aguelhok villagers say that the MNLA attacked Aguelhok on January 24 and killed only soldiers in the fighting. The next day, people whom the villagers identified as AQIM came and carried out the massacre. There were no MNLA in Aguelhok at the time. The MNLA returned three days later and raised their flag over Aguelhok.
The Mali authorities, as well as Mauritania's President Abdel Aziz, accuse the MNLA of being in an alliance with AQIM and insist that the executions are proof of this alliance. However, as Tuareg are not known either to slit throats as a form of killing humans or to kill their captives in cold blood, the accusation is directed more at the AQIM part of the supposed MNLA-AQIM alliance, with the name Iyad ag Aghaly being mentioned prominently. Indeed, a propaganda video believed to have been produced by Mali's intelligence service, Mauritania's President and a number of reports attributed to Mali official sources, have all pointed the finger at Iyad.
Iyad is a former Tuareg rebel leader who has been involved with Algeria's secret police, the DRS, in several operations since 2003. He is also closely associated with AQIM's local emir, Abdelhamid Abou Zaïd, who, in turn, is a DRS agent. In December, Iyad announced his own jihadist group, the Ansar al-Din.
If Iyad was involved in the executions, the question is whether he was operating on his own initiative or whether he involved with either or both Algeria's DRS and Abdelhamid abou Zaid's group of AQIM, which is based near Aguelhok.
If Abou Zaid and AQIM, either independently or in association with Iyad, were responsible for the alleged executions, then Algeria's DRS is implicated, begging the question: What was the Algerian army doing in Aguelhok at or around that time? Local observers reported an Algerian army convoy of five army trucks with trailers and 24 heavily armed 4x4s heading south from Bordj Mokhtar to Tessalit and Aguelhok around December 20. They estimated the number of troops, garrisoned at both Tessalit and Aguelhok, at around 200.
What were these troops doing in Aguelhok and had they been withdrawn by the time of the alleged executions? The Algerian government said its army was in Mali to help combat AQIM. That, however, was untrue, as no attacks have been launched at any time against AQIM in Mali by either Mali or Algerian forces. Indeed, one of the MNLA's main complaints against the Mali government has been its reluctance to undertake any meaningful attack on AQIM.
Many local Tuareg believe that the Algerian army's presence at Tessalit and Aguelhok was not to fight AQIM, but to protect it from the MNLA, which has threatened to rid Mali of AQIM. Indeed, the MNLA has said that the reason why AQIM is protected by both Algeria and Mali is because AQIM is a cover for the massive, billion-dollar, cocaine trafficking industry that is controlled by rogue elements in the political-military elites of both countries and which has turned Mali into a "narco-state".
Jeremy Keenan is a professor of social anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and is the author of The Dark Sahara: America's War on Terror in Africa (Pluto Press, 2009).
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy.
If I recall correctly the Tuareg are closely allied with the Kinori, a Dinosaur people who live in underground caverns in North Africa and elsewhere.
Quote from: Razgovory on March 21, 2012, 02:40:18 AM
If I recall correctly the Tuareg are closely allied with the Kinori, a Dinosaur people who live in underground caverns in North Africa and elsewhere.
:lol:
Quote from: Razgovory on March 21, 2012, 02:40:18 AM
If I recall correctly the Tuareg are closely allied with the Kinori,
The Tuareg is actually more closely aligned to the ZDX.
It's most closely aligned with the Audi Q7 and the Porsche Cayenne.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on March 21, 2012, 12:31:30 PM
It's most closely aligned with the Audi Q7 and the Porsche Cayenne.
Wrong, the Audi and Porsche base packages eclipse the VWs, and follow more Acura's interior appointment upgrades. Fag.
Too bad. A couple of people I know have been there and I would have liked to go to that music festival near Timbuctou and to the Dogon Valley. But right now, Westerners are under severe threat of kidnapping there. :(
Wow this is incredibly disappointing.
QuoteIt is conceivable that further attacks on the highly vulnerable, nomadic civilian population, may bring the rebels to submission, as has been the case in previous Tuareg rebellions. It is also conceivable that the Malian government's undercover militias, ethnic hatred campaigns, military in civilian clothing acting in mobs shouting "death to the Tuaregs" and internet propaganda might succeed in opening cleavages within the complex political, ethnic and social mix that comprises the totality of the Azawad population.
Geez Toure when has stiring up ethnic conflict ever gone wrong?
Secession! The itinerant herders & layabouts of northern Mali shall win a resounding blow for freedom.
Instability in Africa? Yikes. :(
Quote from: DGuller on March 21, 2012, 02:20:41 PM
Instability in Africa? Yikes. :(
Yeah but that was one of the few African countries I liked :weep:
Quote from: Zanza on March 21, 2012, 12:56:52 PM
Too bad. A couple of people I know have been there and I would have liked to go to that music festival near Timbuctou and to the Dogon Valley. But right now, Westerners are under severe threat of kidnapping there. :(
I was going to make a joke about calling off my Mali vacation plans. Didn't realize anyone actually went there.
Quote from: derspiess on March 21, 2012, 02:57:23 PM
I was going to make a joke about calling off my Mali vacation plans. Didn't realize anyone actually went there.
Eh they have a reputation for good music and historical sites like Timbuctou.
What music? And from what I've seen, Tmbuktu is a shithole without much to see.
Quote from: DGuller on March 21, 2012, 02:20:41 PM
Instability in Africa? Yikes. :(
Yes, I was wondering how I was supposed to take that major instability might occur in an unstable place.
Quote from: derspiess on March 21, 2012, 02:57:23 PM
Quote from: Zanza on March 21, 2012, 12:56:52 PM
Too bad. A couple of people I know have been there and I would have liked to go to that music festival near Timbuctou and to the Dogon Valley. But right now, Westerners are under severe threat of kidnapping there. :(
I was going to make a joke about calling off my Mali vacation plans. Didn't realize anyone actually went there.
Germans are well known for their desert tourism.
So, here's the problem: BMW is going to have to rebrand their shitty SUV.
Quote from: Neil on March 21, 2012, 07:04:28 PM
So, here's the problem: BMW is going to have to rebrand their shitty SUV.
What did the X's do?
Quote from: Neil on March 21, 2012, 07:04:28 PM
So, here's the problem: BMW is going to have to rebrand their shitty SUV.
?? VW I thought.
Fahrvergnügen
Quote from: Admiral Yi on March 21, 2012, 07:19:43 PM
Quote from: Neil on March 21, 2012, 07:04:28 PM
So, here's the problem: BMW is going to have to rebrand their shitty SUV.
?? VW I thought.
Maybe. All German automakers are equally bad.
Quote from: Neil on March 21, 2012, 07:28:28 PM
Quote from: Admiral Yi on March 21, 2012, 07:19:43 PM
Quote from: Neil on March 21, 2012, 07:04:28 PM
So, here's the problem: BMW is going to have to rebrand their shitty SUV.
?? VW I thought.
Maybe. All German automakers are equally bad.
I owned a German car once.
Once.
My wife had one of those new beetles. Until the engine turned into a potato. No more VW's. EVER.
Quote from: Ed Anger on March 21, 2012, 07:32:36 PM
My wife had one of those new beetles. Until the engine turned into a potato. No more VW's. EVER.
The old VW's weren't bad. Unless it was cold outside. Or you like moving very quickly. And you were very short. I also know from personal experience that they don't deflect arrows worth a damn.
Quote from: derspiess on March 21, 2012, 06:06:30 PM
What music?
The music's great. There's an annual Festival in the Desert all about Malinese music. There's a few artists who are big worldwide too.
QuoteAnd from what I've seen, Tmbuktu is a shithole without much to see.
The Grand Mosque:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.happytellus.com%2Fimg%2Ftimbuktu%2Ftimbuktu-preferred-method-of-t_5976.jpg&hash=17c9729441c4d0ce20bddd0c6e490db05f2baa5b)
The old city's filled with similar architecture. The library of Timbuktu's got one of the oldest and largest stores of African manuscripts, used on the old trade route, mostly in Arabic, which are now being restored and will be rehoused in a library/museum. My impression is that it's a pretty remarkably stunning place :mellow:
Edit: Changed picture.
Quote from: Razgovory on March 21, 2012, 07:52:04 PM
Quote from: Ed Anger on March 21, 2012, 07:32:36 PM
My wife had one of those new beetles. Until the engine turned into a potato. No more VW's. EVER.
The old VW's weren't bad. Unless it was cold outside. Or you like moving very quickly. And you were very short. I also know from personal experience that they don't deflect arrows worth a damn.
Had trouble with some Injun tribes, did ya? :hmm:
Quote from: Razgovory on March 21, 2012, 07:52:04 PM
Quote from: Ed Anger on March 21, 2012, 07:32:36 PM
My wife had one of those new beetles. Until the engine turned into a potato. No more VW's. EVER.
The old VW's weren't bad. Unless it was cold outside. Or you like moving very quickly. And you were very short. I also know from personal experience that they don't deflect arrows worth a damn.
My dad collects and tinkers with old Beetles & I've always liked them as well.
Quote from: Sheilbh on March 21, 2012, 08:24:43 PM
Quote from: derspiess on March 21, 2012, 06:06:30 PM
What music?
The music's great. There's an annual Festival in the Desert all about Malinese music. There's a few artists who are big worldwide too.
QuoteAnd from what I've seen, Tmbuktu is a shithole without much to see.
The Grand Mosque:
The old city's filled with similar architecture. The library of Timbuktu's got one of the oldest and largest stores of African manuscripts, used on the old trade route, mostly in Arabic, which are now being restored and will be rehoused in a library/museum. My impression is that it's a pretty remarkably stunning place :mellow:
I've seen better at those major sand castle building events.
Ok, I am at least half-kidding. :P
Quote from: Sheilbh on March 21, 2012, 08:24:43 PM
The music's great. There's an annual Festival in the Desert all about Malinese music. There's a few artists who are big worldwide too.
Any suggestions? What sets it apart from all the other traditional African folk music?
Quote
The Grand Mosque:
The old city's filled with similar architecture. The library of Timbuktu's got one of the oldest and largest stores of African manuscripts, used on the old trade route, mostly in Arabic, which are now being restored and will be rehoused in a library/museum. My impression is that it's a pretty remarkably stunning place :mellow:
I'll avoid the "African engineering" joke, but I'll just say I'm not overly impressed.
Quote from: derspiess on March 21, 2012, 08:57:12 PM
Any suggestions? What sets it apart from all the other traditional African folk music?
I'd suggest listening to Ali Farka Toure. I think he's got a very interesting voice and playing guitar or, I think, kora he's pretty good.
I don't know enough about other African folk music to judge what's different. The only other African stuff I listen too really is Youssou N'Dour from Senegal. A lot of his stuff is religious and rather beautiful but quite polished. The stuff I've heard from Mali, like Ali Farka Toure, is far grittier. That could just be the style of those artists though I'm not in a position to comment.
I believe, but this is dim memory of a Damon Albarn article, that there's a musician caste in Malian culture which is largely in Timbuktu. Which means the city itself is incredible to for music because there's improvisation and music everywhere.
QuoteI'll avoid the "African engineering" joke, but I'll just say I'm not overly impressed.
I think that Mosque's part of a university which is about as old as Oxbridge. It's certainly a few hundred years old. Which is surely a pretty impressive feat of engineering? :mellow:
A defence lawyer made a joke about 'where is Timbuktu'. I replied that I thought it was in Mali.
He was stunned. He didn't realize Timbuktu was a real place.
:huh:
Quote from: Barrister on March 21, 2012, 09:47:06 PM
A defence lawyer made a joke about 'where is Timbuktu'. I replied that I thought it was in Mali.
He was stunned. He didn't realize Timbuktu was a real place.
:huh:
:XD: Canadian education. :lol:
Quote from: KRonn on March 21, 2012, 08:25:05 PM
Quote from: Razgovory on March 21, 2012, 07:52:04 PM
Quote from: Ed Anger on March 21, 2012, 07:32:36 PM
My wife had one of those new beetles. Until the engine turned into a potato. No more VW's. EVER.
The old VW's weren't bad. Unless it was cold outside. Or you like moving very quickly. And you were very short. I also know from personal experience that they don't deflect arrows worth a damn.
Had trouble with some Injun tribes, did ya? :hmm:
People are always trying to kill me. I'm just that type of guy, I suppose.
Quote from: Razgovory on March 21, 2012, 07:52:04 PM
Quote from: Ed Anger on March 21, 2012, 07:32:36 PM
My wife had one of those new beetles. Until the engine turned into a potato. No more VW's. EVER.
The old VW's weren't bad. Unless it was cold outside. Or you like moving very quickly. And you were very short. I also know from personal experience that they don't deflect arrows worth a damn.
Really now? :hmm:
If the arrow is stuck in the car and not your hide, that's worthwhile deflective ability.
Coup attempt by soldiers dissatisfied with government leadership in this conflict!?
video after the link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17470950
QuoteTroops in Mali have attacked the presidential palace in the capital Bamako hours after staging a mutiny.
The renegade troops traded gunfire with soldiers loyal to the government.
The mutineers say the government is not giving them enough arms to battle a rebellion by ethnic Tuaregs.
There has been heavy gunfire in Bamako and armoured vehicles have moved in to protect the presidential palace.
Martin Vogl is in Bamako.
President Toure has long been a hero of mine but I have to admit I had not checked up on things in Mali lately. A coup attempt? Holy shit. Some things I am reading say he is already overthrown.
Ah well it was not like that country ever had a chance with their poverty and lack of natural resources and diverse population and troublesome neighborhood. But I always hoped. A 21 year old democracy in Africa is coming apart, and rare functional democracy in a very impoverished country.
Quote from: derspiess on March 21, 2012, 06:06:30 PM
What music? And from what I've seen, Tmbuktu is a shithole without much to see.
Well it is not going to blow anybody away, Mali is among the poorest countries in the world.
But seeing what remains of what once a great thriving city and cultural center from centuries ago is sorta cool even so.
Quote from: Valmy on March 22, 2012, 12:30:57 AM
President Toure has long been a hero of mine but I have to admit I had not checked up on things in Mali lately.
21 year old democracy in Africa is coming apart, and rare functional democracy in a very impoverished country.
Really why?
How well functioning was their democracy if they've had three ethnic driven civil wars (before the current one)?
The coup in Mali was successful.
'Mutinous troops were reported to have overturned the government, chased the president from his hilltop palace, imposed a curfew, and declared on state television that they had dissolved state institutions and suspended the constitution.'
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/world/africa/mali-coup-france-calls-for-elections.html
Quote from: jimmy olsen on March 22, 2012, 01:04:23 AM
Really why?
How well functioning was their democracy if they've had three ethnic driven civil wars (before the current one)?
Primarily because he overthrew the last of a series of dictators that had ruled the country since independence in 1991, installed a Democratic constitution and then resigned to private life. He later came back and ran for President in 2002 and easily won re-election but all that is over now. It was probably a mistake for him to come back.
It was impressively well functioning. It was always rated as one of the most transparent and free countries in the third world. Freedom of the press, fair elections, and so forth were always extremely high both de jure and de facto. But ethnic tensions have nothing to do with that, especially when you have a nomadic group that moves around among Mali's perenially unstable neighbors. It was the very fact that this state was doing what it was doing with such incredible adversity that made it such a fascination of mine. But with that coup it is probably all over. But it is all the more tragic because President Toure had just a few months left in office before retirement. Sad ending for a great leader but I guess most of Africa's finest have unfortunate epilogues.
Quote from: Barrister on March 21, 2012, 09:47:06 PM
A defence lawyer made a joke about 'where is Timbuktu'. I replied that I thought it was in Mali.
He was stunned. He didn't realize Timbuktu was a real place.
:huh:
:wacko:
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on March 21, 2012, 11:25:10 PM
If the arrow is stuck in the car and not your hide, that's worthwhile deflective ability.
The first two are not mutually exclusive. You can have an arrow stuck in a car and your hide. And for it to deflect it means it bounces off. And the arrow wasn't even that sharp! And it was shot by some kid! From a over 200 yards away!
Quote from: Barrister on March 21, 2012, 09:47:06 PM
A defence lawyer made a joke about 'where is Timbuktu'. I replied that I thought it was in Mali.
He was stunned. He didn't realize Timbuktu was a real place.
:huh:
According to Wiki:
QuoteNowadays Timbuktu is, before all, a place that bears with it a sense of mystery: a 2006 survey of 150 young Britons found 34% did not believe the town existed, while the other 66% considered it "a mythical place". This sense has been acknowledged in literature describing African history and African-European relations.
Wait so every single Briton either thought it did not exist or was mythical? Not sure I get the difference.
0% knew about Timbuktu? :(
I suppose a place can exist and still be mythical. As in, it's there but isn't quite as spectacular as it is said to be. Here is the original source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6062360.stm
Quote from: derspiess on March 22, 2012, 02:00:43 PM
I suppose a place can exist and still be mythical.
In a mythical universe, sure.
Quote from: derspiess on March 22, 2012, 02:00:43 PM
As in, it's there but isn't quite as spectacular as it is said to be.
Well let's just say its best days are behind it...
Looks like the Tuareg have won and Mali is doomed.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mali-tuaregs-20120404,0,5399355.story
QuoteBy Robyn Dixon and Jane Labous, Los Angeles Times
April 4, 2012
It took just a few months of combat for Tuareg rebels in Mali, battle-hardened by their time fighting for Libya's late leader Moammar Kadafi, to achieve a century-old dream: conquering a huge swath of northern Mali that they see as their homeland.
Even if the rebels never win international recognition, their battlefield successes have in effect partitioned the West African nation. Neither the country's new military junta nor leaders of neighboring nations appear capable of overturning the recent gains by the rebels, analysts say.
After a military coup in March that toppled the government a month before elections, the main Tuareg rebels took several key cities, including Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu, a stunning advance that saw the collapse of Mali's army in the north.
The chaos has fed fear that Islamic militants will take advantage of the rebels' success to advance their agendas, that the weak military junta will cling to power in the south, and that problems of poverty and drug running will be exacerbated.
The coup stemmed from outrage in the military over the government's failure to properly equip troops to fight the heavily armed Tuareg force, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, known by its French acronym, MNLA.
In response to the coup, leaders of the Economic Community of West African States on Monday imposed sanctions that include a blockade that could starve the landlocked country of fuel within days and leave the junta without money from the regional central bank in Senegal to pay soldiers and civil servants.
West Africa is already in the grip of a growing hunger crisis, which the sanctions are likely to worsen in Mali, humanitarian agencies say.
Even without the coup and resulting power vacuum, the MNLA probably would have gained control of the north, said Jeremy Keenan, a professor in the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. He said the military's resistance had largely collapsed even before the overthrow of the government, with troops running out of ammunition in some cases.
The Tuareg consider the region their homeland, which they call Azawad. Many Malians fled towns in the region this week and others stayed indoors; Amnesty International reported looting, violence and the closure of hospitals.
As people lined up for fuel and food Tuesday in Bamako, the capital, economist Moustaphe Doumbia said the country was demoralized and fearful.
"It's calm at the moment in Bamako, but the population is beginning to be very afraid," he said in a telephone interview from the city. "The economy is no longer working.... Everyone is beginning to realize that we are going to have trouble surviving. It is a humanitarian disaster that we are facing here."
While UNESCO worries about the possible destruction of some of Timbuktu's World Heritage earthen mosques and priceless ancient manuscripts, Western security analysts are concerned that an ally of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the militant group's regional affiliate, appears to be piggybacking on the rebels' advances.
The Al Qaeda group, which has no apparent links to the rebels, has been responsible for kidnappings and killings of foreigners, destroying tourism in Timbuktu and undermining an annual desert music festival. Its ally Ansar Dine, or Defenders of Faith, who form part of the northern Mali rebellion, have a different agenda: imposing sharia, or Islamic law, across Mali.
Ansar Dine militants, led by Iyad ag Aghaly, have swooped into towns conquered by the MNLA in recent days, raised their black flag and told shopkeepers and imams that sharia was being imposed.
But Keenan said the group, consisting of a few hundred fighters, played an insignificant role in the rebels' seizure of the north.
Aghaly's "contribution on the military front is small," he said. "What seems to happen is that when they move into a town, the MNLA take out the military base — not that there's much resistance — and Iyad goes into town and puts up his flag and starts bossing everyone around about sharia law."
Mali's new military junta, led by Capt. Amadou Sanogo, may have hoped the coup would win support in the region: It appealed to neighboring countries to send troops to defeat the rebels. Instead the economic community's leaders said they were willing to send 2,000 to 3,000 soldiers to try to crush the northern rebellion — once the junta stepped aside.
Sanogo has said the junta will stand down and make way for elections that he and other junta members won't contest, but has given no time frame. The coup has some support among Malians, partly because of widespread corruption in the country, which has become a major transit route for Latin American drugs destined for Europe.
Meanwhile, the army appears to have no hope of pushing back the Tuareg rebels, many of whom fought as mercenaries in Kadafi's army or alongside his loyalists in the Libyan war last year. With the defeat of Kadafi, their longtime patron, thousands of the rebels flooded into Mali with a huge arsenal of heavy arms. They then launched a rebellion in January.
Having taken Azawad, the Tuareg leadership has indicated it has no plans to move south.
"Now Mali can't beat these people," said Doumbia, the economist. "The military [forces] do not have enough equipment, but also, even if they had the arms, they are totally demoralized."
If Mali's neighbors do send troops into the north, one of the harshest environments on Earth, it could spark more chaos in the region, Keenan said. Tuaregs also reside in Niger, Algeria and Libya.
"It could spread into a regional conflagration," he said. "The Tuaregs would see it as a race war. You might get Tuaregs from other countries coming across to join the fight."
A West African force "would probably get humiliated against the Tuaregs, who are very hardened and seasoned fighters.... They're happy to die for it," Keenan said, referring to Azawad independence.
Some analysts are predicting a revolt or counter-coup as the sanctions' bite worsens. Without access to goods transported through Ivory Coast, Ghana and Senegal, "we will quickly be in chaos," Doumbia said. "There will be a revolt."
[email protected]
Times staff writer Dixon reported from Johannesburg and special correspondent Labous from London.
Quote from: derspiess on March 22, 2012, 02:00:43 PM
I suppose a place can exist and still be mythical. As in, it's there but isn't quite as spectacular as it is said to be. Here is the original source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6062360.stm
:yes: New Jersey is one. :)
Quote from: jimmy olsen on April 03, 2012, 07:37:08 PM
Looks like the Tuareg have won and Mali is doomed.
And not just Mali. It is pretty grim.
Quote from: Valmy on April 04, 2012, 08:38:50 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on April 03, 2012, 07:37:08 PM
Looks like the Tuareg have won and Mali is doomed.
And not just Mali. It is pretty grim.
The Economist article on this was really interesting. It made it sound like a lot of the problem was climate change in the Sahel, if so this may just be the first war.
Seems like this will end in ethnic cleansing and genocide. :(
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17686468
QuoteNew Mali leader Dioncounda Traore warns rebels of war
Mali's new leader, Dioncounda Traore, has threatened a "total war" against separatist rebels in the north.
Mr Traore's inauguration marks a return to civilian rule following last month's coup in the West African state.
Mr Traore now has 40 days to organise elections - though correspondents say this deadline is unlikely to be met because of the situation in the north.
Since the coup, Tuareg and Islamist militants have taken control of much of the northern desert region.
The UN says there are continuing reports of civilians being killed, robbed, raped and forced to flee northern rebel-held areas.
"Reports also suggest that tensions between different ethnic groups are being stirred up, increasing the risk of sectarian violence," the UN human rights commissioner Navi Pillay said in a statement.
Handshake
Mali's former parliamentary speaker was sworn in by Supreme Court President Nouhoum Tapily at a brief ceremony in the capital, Bamako.
Moments after taking the presidential oath and to applause, Mr Traore warned he would use military force to wrest back the northern part of Mali unless Tuareg rebels and Islamist militants ceded control of the territory they seized in the wake of the coup.
He called on the rebels to "return to the fold and to strengthen this nation instead of dividing it," adding that if they do not, "we will not hesitate to wage a total and relentless war."
The BBC's West African correspondent Thomas Fessy in Bamako said there was a standing ovation when coup leader Capt Amadou Sanogo shook hands with the new president.
Correspondents say that while Mr Traore's inauguration may bring hope, lasting peace in the north will not be achieved until the end of the political uncertainty in Bamako - and the role of coup leader Capt Sanogo becomes clear.
West African states lifted sanctions against Mali after Capt Sanogo agreed to step aside in a deal agreed with the regional bloc Ecowas on Friday.
But Capt Sanogo told the BBC subsequently: "The agreement is clear. [Traore] will be here for 40 days and after 40 days, my committee and Ecowas will sit together and fix transition organs."
Asked if that meant he would be back in power after that time, he replied: "I didn't say that. I don't know."
Food crisis warning
Before the deal he had formally asked Ecowas for help in defeating Tuareg separatists and their Islamist allies.
However, he has since said he needs only equipment and logistical support - and rejected the intervention of a 3,000-strong foreign force.
Nevertheless, Ecowas is still mulling the possibility of sending in regional troops, and foreign ministers are discussing the situation on Thursday in Ivory Coast's main city, Abidjan.
The Tuaregs, who inhabit the Sahara Desert in Mali and several neighbouring countries, have fought several rebellions over the years, claiming they have been ignored by Bamako.
But human rights groups warn there could be a major humanitarian disaster in the wake of the fighting in the north.
"The urgency of the situation in Mali is exacerbating an already extremely serious humanitarian crisis affecting the whole of the Sahel region, and the country may soon be plunged into a devastating food crisis with a risk of other shortages, including medical supplies, if the insurrections and insecurity persist," Ms Pillay said.
Correspondents say Mr Traore, 70, has long harboured presidential ambitions - but he had hoped to come to power through the ballot box, by contesting elections originally scheduled for later this month.
The former mathematician heads Mali's largest political party, the Alliance for Democracy in Mali, and was an ally of the deposed President Amadou Toumani Toure, who formally resigned on Sunday.
Known as ATT, the former president had been due to step down this month after two terms in office - and people had become increasingly frustrated with his government for doing little to tackle corruption and the growing insecurity and eventual rebellion in the north.
As a consequence, many Malians are wary of Mr Traore, Bamako-based journalist Martin Vogl told the BBC's Network Africa programme.
Mr Traore is not regarded as charismatic, nor seen by many people as a natural leader, he says.
Counter-coup fails! Martial law is super effective!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/mali-coup-leaders-fend-off-countercoup/article2418984/
QuoteMalian military junta troops who carried out a coup in March guard a street after renewed fighting in the capital Bamako May 1, 2012. - Malian military junta troops who carried out a coup in March guard a street after renewed fighting in the capital Bamako May 1, 2012. | Adama Diarra/REUTERS
Bamako, Mali— The Associated Press
Published Tuesday, May. 01, 2012 11:41AM EDT
Last updated Tuesday, May. 01, 2012 8:31PM EDT
Gunfire echoed across Bamako on Tuesday as Malian government troops battled each other, killing at least 12 people as one side tried to oust soldiers who seized power in a coup over a month ago.
Mali's coup leaders, who ostensibly handed over power to an interim civilian government on April 12 but who still wield power, said they control the state broadcaster, the airport and a military base, fending off attacks by opposing forces. Coup leader Captain Amadou Sanogo told a private radio station Monday night that the countercoup had failed and that his soldiers have captured foreign fighters.
A senior Western diplomat based in Bamako told The Associated Press that the fighting apparently started Monday when forces loyal to the junta tried to arrest the former head of the presidential guard. The presidential guard is part of Mali's parachutist regiment, known as the Red Berets, who are believed to have remained loyal to President Amadou Toumani Toure, who was ousted during the coup.
Anti-junta forces tried to take over the country's state broadcaster and attacked the airport and the junta's main military base. Yaya Konate, the head of the broadcast station, said that troops arrived at the station at around 6:30 p.m. on Monday firing in the air and told all personnel working there to leave. He said the soldiers who took charge of the building were from the Red Berets.
Soldiers loyal to Capt. Sanogo, however, appeared on state television early Tuesday and said the important installations remain in their hands after fighting. But heavy gunfire across Bamako suggests that the leaders of the March coup don't yet have total control over the capital.
A dozen bodies had been brought to the hospital since the fighting started Monday evening, said a hospital official.
"Some are military and some are civilians who must have got caught up in the fighting. They were all killed by gunshot wounds in areas around where the conflict was going on," Adama Traore said.
Mr. Traore said that the hospital had treated around 30 injured people. He said most of the military personnel had been given treatment and then returned to their bases.
A source close to the junta told AP that reinforcements were coming from other major Malian towns to strengthen the junta's position.
"The first reinforcements have already arrived and others will be in Bamako soon," the soldier said. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak to the press.
A resident in the camp where most of the military personnel who tried to stage the countercoup live said Capt. Sanogo's forces are trying to capture those soldiers.
"Most of the families who live here and most of the military personnel have fled, but they still come to attack the camp," the resident said. He asked for anonymity for fear of reprisals. He said that he could hear both small arms fire and heavy weapons but could not give more details as he was afraid to leave his house.
State television showed a small group of prisoners along with guns, ammunition and grenades supposedly belonging to the captured troops.
"Those arrested come from different origins and were supported by hidden internal forces," a statement read by soldiers Tuesday said. "Some of these people have been detained by the armed forces and an in-depth investigation will take place. We remind you that everyone involved ... will be tracked down and brought before the competent jurisdictions."
Capt. Sanogo has signed a deal with ECOWAS, the West African regional bloc, to return the country to constitutional rule. The deal gave the junta a supervisory role in the transition. But Capt. Sanogo said Sunday that he rejects a plan to send ECOWAS troops to Mali to protect the president's and prime minister's office.
Mali is also battling insecurity in its desert north where separatist rebels have declared independence, and militants are trying to impose strict Islamic law.
Tuareg separatist fighters and Islamic militants took advantage of the chaos caused by the coup in Bamako last month to quickly advance and capture the three main towns in the north of Mali at the end of March. Mali government forces fled south without putting up any major resistance.
Alarmaling.
in now the Touaregs have been kicked in the nads too by the AQ-affiliated scum. The result: the levelling of Timbouctou's world heritage has commenced.
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on July 02, 2012, 03:13:40 PM
in now the Touaregs have been kicked in the nads too by the AQ-affiliated scum. The result: the levelling of Timbouctou's world heritage has commenced.
Link?
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 02, 2012, 05:13:48 PM
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on July 02, 2012, 03:13:40 PM
in now the Touaregs have been kicked in the nads too by the AQ-affiliated scum. The result: the levelling of Timbouctou's world heritage has commenced.
Link?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mali/9369271/Timbuktu-shrine-destruction-a-war-crime.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/30/world/africa/mali-shrine-attack/index.html
QuoteNew Mali leader Dioncounda Traore
Any relation to Boubacar?
I guess Traore is a common surname.