On this page citations from press reports (almost daily and mostly in English) on developments in Mali in April 2014.
General and broadly reported questions are not included. Where possible a link is added.
The focus this month: arms smuggling to Nigeria, military organisation, new government, Jihadist tactics, (weakened) security, Morocco, Algeria,
Earlier Mali in the press blogs on: January, February, March, May, June, July,
***
April 30
***
French army kills close aide of Malian
Islamist chief Iyad Ag Ghaly in north, adio France Internationale on
30 April (via BBC Monitoring Africa – Political, May 1, 2014)
[Presenter] In Mali, several military sources announce the death of
Haroune Said, who was the right-hand man of the Islamist leader, Iyad
Ag Ghaly. He was killed during an operation that was carried out
against the jihadists by French soldiers in the Kidal Region. This
ex-army officer deserted the Malian army in 2012 and joined the
ex-Tuareg rebel Iyad Ag Ghaly who leads the Ansar Eddine movement.
Our correspondent Serge Daniel provides further details.
[Daniel] He was the lieutenant of the
Malian Islamist leader, Iyad Ag Ghali. He was also an adventurist.
Haroune Said was already on the battlefield during the Tuareg
rebellion of the 1990s. Some people thought that he was going to hang
up his boots when he was injured in battle, more precisely in the
throat.
They were mistaken. He finally joined
the ranks of the Malian regular army after the peace agreements. He
would even become a company commander in the Malian locality of
Diabali.
But during the new uprising of the
Tuaregs in Kidal in May 2006, Haroune Said was in the movement, on
the right hand of his mentor, Iyad Ag Ghali. He then returned to the
ranks again during the new peace agreement before finding himself
again in the nascent rebel movement in March 2012.
He chose his side very early. It is
that of the Islamists. This tall first cousin of Iyad Ag Ghaly became
indispensable in the Islamist mechanism of the Ansar Eddine movement.
He was at the Borisa area in the
north-eastern part of Mali, which was a place where French soldiers
were carrying out operations against the jihadists last weekend.
Haroune Said was killed with two of his close aides.
--
The Gold Report
(TGR): You called Papillon s Fekola gold project in
Mali "good." How good is it?
Duncan Hughes of
RFC Ambrian (
DH) : It would be difficult to find another
junior gold project as good as Fekola. It has 5.15 million ounces
(5.15 Moz) at 2.4 grams per ton (2.4 g t) with good metallurgy and
low strip ratios. It could be mined from one open pit and recent
company work has suggested that there may be opportunities for
shallow satellite pits as well. Production is forecast to begin in
2017: 320 000 oz per year over the first 11 years at an all in cost
of $740 oz.
And Papillon has strong management.
Mark Connelly is the CEO. He worked at Adamus and has developed
projects from exploration through to production. The non executive
chairman Ian Middlemas has a strong track record of developing
projects to the point of being taken out. Fekola is close to Randgold
s 17.9 Moz Loulo Gounkoto projects AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. s (AU:NYSE
ANG:JSE AGG:ASX AGD:LSE) 13.1 Moz Sadiola project and Endeavour s 3.8
Moz Segala Tabakoto project. Given Middlemas track record I would say
that Papillon has to be a target.
TGR: Could you compare Papillon to another company operating in Mali
Legend Gold Corp. (LGN:TSX.V)?
DH: Legend s Tiekoumala project is at a
much earlier stage than Fekola and has 590 000 oz (590 Koz) Indicated
and Inferred. Legend has just announced a joint venture agreement
with Randgold on seven of its permits. Randgold is of course a
producer with high quality assets throughout Africa.
TGR: How should investors balance
potential reward and risk in West Africa specifically with regard to
the various gold producing jurisdictions?
DH: Several years ago gold companies in
West Africa traded at a premium because of the excellent exploration
opportunities engendered by the geology. Since then markets have
changed and investors have become risk averse. In Africa we have seen
the Arab Spring a push for nationalization and the coup in Mali.
These events remind investors that the African political landscape is
not as secure as some other parts of the world.(...)
--
A 33-strong contingent from 1st
Battalion The Rifles (1 RIFLES) has taken over from colleagues for a
second six-month deployment in the West African country, where they
are helping to train the army there to combat an Islamist-led
counter-insurgency.
They have also been toughening up
conventional military tactics such as patrolling, guarding bases and
reassuring the local population - which is being tested under battle
situations. The four weeks of feedback-led hot-housing has been
followed by live exercises to test its effectiveness.
Officer Commanding of the Riflemen in Mali, Major Phil Bray, said:
"We put them to the test and see how they react to it. I would
generally say the Malians have exceeded our expectations. In that
time they've progressed quickly." The aim is to build the
capacity and capability of Mali's armed forces, maintain security and
build long-term stability in Mali and the wider region.
The Riflemen - including five from
Gloucestershire - have used the skills they used during their 2011
deployment to Afghanistan to teach their Malian counterparts how to
spot improvised explosive devices (IEDs) - a threat used to
devastating effect on thousands of British servicemen and women.
Maj Bray said the men had been in the
country since March 6, delivering experience learned on the front
line. He said: "Some of my soldiers have served in Afghanistan
and they were able to tell some of their stories and use those
techniques to teach the Malians. It's been really valuable. "There
have been similarities between the Afghan techniques and those of the
insurgents here."
He added: "As soon as they finish
training with us, they go straight on operations up north, so they've
got to be ready. We've only got a finite amount of time in which to
do that.(...)
--
TUNIS: Tunisian security forces backed
by jets and helicopters have begun a major operation to root out Al
Qaeda-linked militants from a hideout in the Chaambi mountains
bordering Algeria.
Thousands of troops have deployed in the
remote area to scour the mountains, where the militants are holed up,
some since a French military operation drove Al Qaeda-affiliated
fighters out of Mali last year. (...)
--
(…) French officials have expressed irritation with the new
government in Mali for not pursuing more vigorously a policy of
reconciliation with the perennially discontented ethnic groups of the
north - the Tuareg, who allied with the jihadists in 2012 and
supplied manpower for the takeover of the region's principal towns.
But as long as the Tuareg show no sign of making common cause again
with the Qaeda groups - and that alliance did not turn out well for
them - a certain hard-headed realpolitik dictates that their
complaints can be safely ignored, or at least neglected.
The same does not apply to the Qaeda
affiliates. Their ruthlessness means they must be constantly watched.
''We haven't eliminated them
entirely,'' the Western diplomat said. ''We are continuing to weaken
them. They are under permanent observation.''
Mr. Belmokhtar, the mastermind of the
spectacular and deadly attack on the gas plant at In Amenas, in
southern Algeria, in January 2013, remains on the run. Yet, ''I think
it would be difficult for them to do a large-scale terrorist act
now,'' the diplomat added.
''When you kill 40 of them, after all,
you've done some damage,'' he said. ''Their life is pretty difficult
right now.''
***
April 29
***
(…) In respect to his appointment as President and CEO of the
Company, Mr. Franzmann has been granted 1,000,000 incentive stock
options exercisable at $0.15 per share, expiring on April 29, 2019.
The Company has also agreed to grant Mr. Franzmann an additional
500,000 options once there is availability under the Company's stock
option plan. 500,000 of Mr. Franzmann's incentive stock options will
vest immediately; an additional 500,000 options will vest upon Mali's
Minister of Mines granting AGG a Mining License for Kobada with the
final 500,000 incentive stock options vesting upon the first pour of
gold at Kobada. The granting of the options is subject to regulatory
approval of applicable filings. (...)
About African Gold Group
African Gold Group, Inc., based in
Toronto, Canada, is fully focused on transitioning from an
exploration/development company into a gold producer. In conjunction
with this objective, a full Feasibility Study is currently underway
for AGG's Kobada Gold Project, located in south-west Mali, West
Africa. The Company is projecting the Feasibility Study will be
completed in Q3 2014, at which time the Company will submit an
application to obtain an Exploitation License to the appropriate
Malian authorities. Additional Information is available under the
AGG's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com and on the
Company's website at www.africangoldgroup.com.(...)
***
April 28
***
BERN, Switzerland, April 28,
2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ – Today, Switzerland and the
European Union have signed an agreement on Switzerland’s
participation in the European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM
Mali). The agreement will enable Switzerland to support EUTM Mali
with civilian expertise.(...)
--
The French Air Force has reported on
April 17th that the Reaper detachment deployed in
support of Operation Serval in Mali passed the 500 hour flight
milestone on 31 March.
TheFrench Air
Force started deployment go of the Reaper in Mali shortly
after its arrival in Africa on 16 January.
The Reaper UAV is being
used as a key identification, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR)
asset in Mali; with operators, intelligence officers and image
analysts for the system conducting missions at a steady pace since
January, according to the French Air Force.
Around 1,600 French soldiers are
currently deployed in Mali as part of French action against armed
terrorist groups, while supporting the standing up of MINUSMA and
FAMA forces.
The French Air Force is also using
the Harfang UAV in Mali. In September 2013 the system had
logged 2,000 flight hours in support of French operations
in Mali since its deployment in January 2013.
***
April 27
***
Mali launched a plan on Sunday to revive stalled talks between the
government and armed separatist groups, announcing a regional
diplomatic tour to entice exiled rebel leaders back into the peace
process.
The west African nation has been mired
in ethnic violence since the National Movement for the Liberation of
Azawad (MNLA) launched a rebellion in 2012 claiming the country's
vast desert north as an independent state.
"On the instructions of the
president of the republic of Mali, anxious to make peace, we have
developed a plan to resume dialogue and negotiations between all the
sons of Mali," National Reconciliation Minister Zahabi Ould Sidy
Mohamed told AFP.(...)
--
(…) Beijing has already sharply
ramped up its participation in U.N. peacekeeping activities and other
international endeavors that it once denounced as interference in the
sovereign affairs of other states. China is the biggest single
contributor of U.N. peacekeepers, but they have almost always played
support roles far from the front lines. Last year, however, China
dispatched combat troops[
6]
to Mali to help reduce tensions in the country's restive north, a
first for Beijing. (...)
***
April 25
***
Czech Defence Minister
Martin Stropnicky is making his first visit to a military mission
abroad today, when he arrived in Mali where Czech soldiers are on a
training mission.
Stropnicky arrived in Mali a few days before the government debates a
proposal to extend the Czech soldiers' mandate in Mali.
"The training
mission in Mali is becoming one of the most important foreign
operations of the EU and the Czech military," Stropnicky said
after arrival in Bamako.
The Czech military is gradually withdrawing from Afghanistan,
where a bigger number of Czech soldiers have been deployed in the
past year.
The western armed forces' focus is now shifting to Africa more and
more.
The current mandate of
Czech soldiers deployed in Mali within an EU mission ends in June,
but the Czechs want to continue operating in Africa.
"On Monday, I will submit to the government a proposal to
extend Czech participation in the EUTM mission until the end of the
year, but we would like to continue the mission in the years ahead as
well," Stropnicky said.
The valid mandate counts with maximally 50 Czech soldiers in the
training mission. Now there are 34 of them in Bamako in a unit that
guards the command of the operation seated in Bamako's Hotel Nord
Sud.
Another four soldiers are deployed at the Kati training base.
The Czechs are training local armed forces to fight Islamists in
the north of the country.
Stropnicky arrived in
Mali this morning and he is returning to Prague this afternoon. He is
accompanied by five people from the Chamber of Deputies defence
committee.
The EU will extend its training mission in Mali by two years,
until May 2016. A complementary EU civilian mission to help train
non-army security agencies, or police and national guards, will be
launched.
--
***
April 24
***
Malian official calls for new mindset
in resolving northern crisis, Radio France Internationale on 24 April
(via BBC Monitoring Africa – Political, April 25, 2014)
[Presenter] Mali is in the current news of this Thursday [24
April]. Former Malian Prime Minister Modibo Keita is in charge of the
issue of the north from now on. He has been appointed as the high
representative of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita for the
inter-Malian inclusive dialogue, in particular with the northern
Tuareg rebel movement.
Correspondent Serge Daniel, you are the
RFI correspondent in Bamako. You said that he wants to go fast. He
wants to hold discussions with them with the support, he said, of
ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States] and the
international community. In his opinion, his assignment is clear and
he is going to meet them in the next five days. His mission is clear.
[Reporter Daniel] You only have to
listen to him.
[Keita] As regards my assignment, it
has the ultimate aim of ending on a global and final peace agreement.
[Reporter] In order to achieve it, the
former prime minister, who is known for his honesty, explained his
state of mind.
[Keita] I abhor the words quote rebel
groups unquote. Those who I meet are Malian citizens who have
concerns. That presupposes that there should be concessions and a new
change of mind.
[Reporter] Obviously, it is necessary
to make things move quickly and find early responses to several
issues.
[Keita] How is Mali going to organise the entire territory
administratively and institutionally? How is Mali going to define an
integrated development programme for the territorial collectives? And
what will it do to improve governance? Finally, there is an issue of
reconciliation in light of what is in existence. These are the
issues.
[Presenter] The interview was granted
to RFI correspondent in Bamako, Serge Daniel.
--
Utilico Investments Limited Interim Management Statement 31Mar14,
London Stock Exchange Aggregated Regulatory News Service (ARNS), April 24, 2014The company announced a significant increase of 54.0% in ore reserves at its Syama project in
Mali
to 3.15 million ounces following the completion of an independent
pre-feasibility study. This study supports long term gold production
until at least 2025 at Syama.<
***
April 23
***
Malian ex-PM appointed to lead talks
with rebels, Malian state-owned ORTM TV on 23 April (via BBC
Monitoring Africa – Political, April 25, 2014)
[Presenter] Another major story
of this bulletin. The president of the republic, Ibrahim Boubacar
Keita, has appointed former Prime Minister Modibo Keita as high
representative of the head of state for inclusive inter-Malian
dialogue. This took place yesterday at the council of ministers. The
man who has been chosen was a retired literature professor. He was
also minister of employment and public service and minister of
foreign affairs and international cooperation. The profile of Modibo
Keita and the relationship between his entity and the National
Commission on Dialogue and Reconciliation is highlighted in the
following report by Ramata Konate.
[Reporter] Modibo Keita, a former prime minister from March to June
2002, is the one whom the President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has
trusted to conduct the talks with the rebels. The retired literature
professor of literature is well known for having held important
positions in Mali from 1972 to 2002: minister of employment and
public service; minister of foreign affairs and international
cooperation under Moussa Troare's regime. A short time later, Modibo
Keita has been Mali's ambassador to Germany, Sweden Switzerland,
Denmark, Austria and Norway. He held the same position at the
organizations of the United Nations system in Geneva and Vienna.
Prof. Keita had been also Secretary
General of the Presidency from 1999 to 2002. The man from Koulikoro
is aware of the dimensions of the mission entrusted to him form now.
[Modibo Keita, special representative
of the head of state for inclusive inter-Malian dialogue] I find it
an extremely important mission. But, as we say, things become
difficult when we don't act. As for me, I am optimistic for a certain
number of reasons. Because I have seen that the way has been paved;
that a number of extremely important acquisitions have already been
made; that meetings, talks have taken place and even the preliminary
agreement of Ouagadougou. I think that there are undeniable
acquisitions that should be welcomed and on which we have to rely in
order to successfully conduct the mission, as the ultimate objective
of this mission is to reach the shining of a global and final peace
agreement.
[Reporter] Then, what would be the
relationship between this entity and the National Commission on
Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation.
[Modibo Keita] They are two different
entities. The group of men and women with whom I will work will
essentially focus on concluding of a global and final peace
agreement. It is time-framed. It is desirable that it will not be a
long-term mission, whereas the National Commission on dialogue and
Reconciliation aims to re-knit the social fabric on the long run.
This commission exists; anyway it has been created even if the new
members have not been named. But they are paving the way. Could you
imagine if we reach a peace agreement while the social fabric is not
re-knitted, while there is no reconciliation, where we are heading?
So, there is no contradiction between the two entities. On the
contrary, we work together.
[Reporter] In addition to this
cooperation, Prof Keita could draw on his humility and experience to
better conduct the talks with the rebels. The man is 72 years old. He
is married and father of four.
--
After the fall of the Gaddafi regime in Libya, it became possible for jihadists to move almost unhindered across an immense
area. Stocks of arms from the Libyan army have fallen into their hands. Geographically, an unbroken link has been established from Mali, through Libya, to Egypt, with connected routes extending to Somalia, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai peninsula and beyond. Weapons and other goods find their way to areas where they are needed by jihadists along ancient caravan and smuggling routes across almost uncontrollable desert. It is also relatively easy for jihadists themselves to travel from Mali, say, all the way to Yemen or Syria. Despite the success French troops have had against the various
jihadist groups in Mali, they continue to pose a threat throughout the greater Sahel region. They have plenty of room there to regroup, rearm, train and prepare attacks. Aided by the political situation and modern means of communication, jihadist networks and groups are increasingly able to collaborate. Much of their joint effort at present is directed towards support for the struggle in Syria, providing personnel, money, weapons and supplies. Networks of facilitators operate out of the Gulf region, Pakistan, North Africa and Turkey.
 |
| From annual report Dutch intelligence service AIVD: https://www.aivd.nl/actueel/aivd-publicaties/@3096/annual-report-2013/ |
--
On Mali, UN Envoy Koenders on Dutch Attack Copters, Rape Probe Now "Not Finished" - But Results Foretold?, InnerCityPress, April 23, 2014
(...)
While Koenders unlike Ladsous at least purported to respond to this question, and one about Dutch attack helicopters bound for
Mali, there is a lack of clarity. Beyond the "completed" investigation by Chad, is there another, UN investigation? Are there preliminary findings based on which Koenders said what he did? As with the rapes in Minova in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by DPKO's partners in the Congolese Army, we will continue to pursue this issue. Inner City Press also asked about the five Dutch helicopter's
Mali's foreign minister Abdulaye Diop had told it about earlier in the morning. Koenders said, "We welcome contribution of Dutch government," specifying three Apache attack helicopters in May, and two transport
helicopters in September or October. Koenders cited all information fusion, being the ears and eyes on extremist groups. Earlier, Inner City Press asked Foreign Minister Diop if such information will be shared with his government, or only within MINUSMA and its troop contributing countries. Diop said he didn't know. So this, too, will require clarification As an aside, later on April 23 the UN's envoy to Somalia Nicholas Kay complained of the lack of helicopters from the AMISOM mission. It left one wondering about how the UN is run: did the Netherlands give the copters to
Mali because one of its nationals is the UN's envoy there? We hope to have more on this.
--
@MissieMali
A roadside bomb struck a UN vehicle in northern
Mali on Wednesday, wounding a peacekeeper from Guinea during a UN visit of foreign dignitaries, an official said.
The
improvised explosive device (IED) detonated at around 1130 GMT at least
400 meters from the Kidal air strip, said the head of the UN mission in
Mali, Albert Koenders.
"Initial
reports indicated that the peacekeeper, who was in a vehicle and bumped
into this IED, seriously damaged his vehicle and is now in hospital,"
he told reporters in New York.
***
April 22
***
One of Mali's top jihadist groups said on Tuesday a French hostage it
had kidnapped in November 2012 was dead.
The Movement for Oneness and Jihad in
West Africa (MUJAO), a splinter group of Al-Qaeda's regional branch,
told AFP Gilberto Rodrigues Leal "is dead, because France is our
enemy". (...)
--
AQLIM terrorists reportedly caught by
Algerian security services, eport by Faouzi Haouamdi, entitled:
"Al-Qa'idah guidance chief caught in Illizzi", by
privately-owned Algerian newspaper Echourouk El Youmi website on 22
April (via BBC Monitoring Middle East – Political, April 22, 2014)
Informed sources have affirmed to
Echorouk that the security services in the Illizzi governorate
yesterday [21 Apr] caught a senior leader of the Sahara emirate
branch of Al-Qa'idah in the land of the Islamic Maghreb [AQLIM]] who
was planning to carry out selected operations in the southern region.
He was the terrorist emir whose non-de-guerre is Aboulfatah El
Mouritani and whose real name is Hamid Ould Daddah. He is aged 39,
has Mauritanian nationality and was in charge of guidance and
rationalisation within the Sahara emirate branch of AQLIM, which is
led by Yahia Aboulhoumam.
According to our sources, the security services also arrested 11
other persons during the security operation including Algerians and
other foreigners from Mali and Libya who offered support and
assistance to terrorist groups.
The network that was caught in Illizzi
used to provide computers, portable telephones and money to the
organisation in question.
The special services have linked the
presence of the Mauritanian leading figure in Illizzi and that of the
terrorist Bellaouar in Libya to a plan being concocted by AQLIM to
carry out yet another operation in the south that would have wide
media repercussions. This will be revealed by the investigations that
the security services are conducting with the detainees.
--
ALGIERS - Mali remains attached to Algeria role in the launch and
success of an inter-Malian inclusive dialogue in the "best
possible conditions," according to a joint statement released
Monday after the second session of the Algerian-Malian Bilateral
Strategic Committee on Northern Mali, held in Algiers.
"The Malian side has asked the
Algerian party to continue his good offices towards creating the
conditions for the launch, in the best conditions possible, of the
Malian international dialogue, a dialogue which must be inclusive, as
desired by the Malians themselves and by the international
community," reads the statement.
--
Al-Qa'idah official said killed by
French army in northern Mali – Report, Radio France Internationale
on 22 April (via BBC Monitoring Africa – Political, April 22, 2014)
[Presenter] The French forces continue carrying out operations to
track down jihadists in northern Mali. Our correspondent Serge Daniel
has the details.
[Daniel] Sources close to the French military operations in northern
Mali gave the figure of about 30 Islamists killed in the course of
the last three weeks. Among the names of jihadists killed is that of
Algerian national, Abou Ouarab. If his death is confirmed, this means
that one of the main fighting brigades of the AQLIM [Al-Qa'idah in
the Islamic Maghreb] in northern Mali has just lost its number two
man. Tactically, the French army intervention is taking place on the
ground with the support of air resources.
A foreign security source explained the
situation as follows:
[Unidentified security source] What is
striking on the ground is the determination of the Islamists. They
withdraw and hide themselves but they then reappear surprisingly.
[Daniel] Recently, for example, in
Zouerat in the Timbuktu Region, they stormed a market, distributed
leaflets and threatened the people who were suspected to be
collaborating with the foreign forces.
An expert acknowledged quote and
unquote, the fight against these Islamists will be long. He added in
order to succeed, it is necessary to continue tracking down the
terrorists in northern Mali but finally engage the fight in other
countries of the region which they use as the base to which they
withdraw.
***
April 21
***
Mali calls on Algeria to host
reconciliation talks with northern armed groups, Radio France
Internationale on 21 April, (via BBC Monitoring Africa – Political,
April 21, 2014 Monday)
[Presenter] As I said in the
headlines, the Malian reconciliation minister was in Algiers
yesterday [20 April]. Zahabi Ould Sidi Mohamed met his Algerian
counterpart for foreign affairs, Ramtane Lamamra.
The Malian minister discussed a meeting future meetings between the
armed groups in the northern part of Mali and the government on the
Algerian soil. More details with Serge Daniel.
[Daniel] Algeria is Mali's big neighbour or rather the big neighbour
of Kidal Region and the cradle of the Tuaregs of the Adrar of the
Ifoghas. For some of the armed groups of this wide northern area of
Mali, Algiers could be useful. It is just rightly so that the very
new Malian minister of national reconciliation made the visit.
Zahabi Ould Sidi Mohamed met his
Algerian foreign affairs counterpart and they even talked holding a
meeting of the armed groups and the representatives of the Malian
government soon on the Algerian soil. However, Bamako demanded one
thing: to lead the negotiations and to call in other experts now that
the armed movements of the north of Mali do not want for the moment
to hear of the Algerian mediation in the crisis. Some of them prefer
Burkina Faso while others want Morocco, whose king received the
leader of the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad,
with the agreement of Bamako some months ago.
--
EU envoys hold talks with authorities in Mali's Kidal's; to meet
armed groups, ORTM TV, Bamako, in French 18 Apr 2014 (via BBC
Monitoring Africa - Political, April 21, 2014)
[Presenter] In the Eighth Region, the ambassadors of the EU are
looking for means and ways to stabilize Kidal Region. They had
discussions with the region's authorities on development, security
and the working conditions of public servants. The governor of the
region seized the opportunity to deplore the increasing insecurity
and food issues in the region. Tiemoko Sagara reports.
[Reporter] Organizing the required response for the stability of
Kidal Region is the aim of the EU ambassadors. They have discussed
with the general administration and the chiefs of regional services.
[David Gressley, UN chief's special representative] We are here
with a number of ambassadors to inquire about the prevailing
situation, and especially to listen to the concerns and expectations
of the governor, of the administration and especially of the
population in order to better organize our response to help the
population, the government in stabilizing Kidal.
[Reporter] At the meeting with the Kidal administration, the
governor has first of all presented the very hard working conditions
of the public servants before underscoring the prevailing situation
in Kidal. The region is now facing an unprecedented security problem:
frequent holdups and carjacking. In Kidal, everyone is armed,
according to the governor of Kidal. The districts of Tin-Essako
Abeibara do not have security forces. Schools are almost
non-existent. Only three schools in Aguel'hoc, Tessalit and Anefif
have opened. Although drugs are available only some clinics are
operational because of insecurity.
According to Col Adama Kamissoko, the cantonment of the armed
groups is still the only issue of the Ouagadougou Agreement. As for
the return of the administration, the government has disbursed over
2.7bn CFA francs [6.7m dollars] and the rehabilitation of buildings
is underway.
[Gressley] We will continue our humanitarian support in terms of
water, food aid and nutrition. This will continue and we are
mobilizing resources with our partners and I think that such visits
could help in the mobilizing of resources.
[Reporter] The visitors have appreciated the will of the
administration to hold talks with the armed groups and the good
collaboration between foreign and Malian forces in Kidal. The
ambassadors are planning to meet with the armed groups and foreign
and Malian armed before leaving the Eight Region.
***
April 20
***
(...) He explained that Boko Haram
currently receives help from other globally recognised terror groups.
What you have now are "insurgents from other countries. They are
trained by Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabab and other groups. They send people
here to train them. They also go for training and come back but you
must remember, many terrorist groups are in this together and they
don't have problem training and supporting each other because they
know that one day, they can call each other for help and when they
do, they expect that you will come and help. They may say 'we need
you to help us get Mali, and then you send people because they
trained you, gave you funding and all the resources you need, so that
was done for you to pay back. So, you are correct to say they got
people to help them. There are times also that survivors report that
people who came with Boko Haram to kill them were speaking a language
they have never heard before; nothing out of Nigeria, so they could
be French, Spanish, something from Mali, CAR, Kenya, etc. They know
instinctively that it is not a Nigerian tongue which proves the fact
that they bring in outsiders." (...)
***
April 19
***
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) An opposition party says an impasse in negotiations
between Mali"s government and separatist rebels is creating
insecurity in the country"s north.
Tuareg rebels, who want an independent homeland in Mali"s north,
launched a rebellion in 2012 and took control of much of the area.
But al-Qaida-linked extremists later moved in, and a French-led
intervention ousted armed groups last year.
There were hopes that a newly elected
government would negotiate a political solution. But President
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has not named an official negotiator, and the
talks have yet to start in earnest.
On Thursday, the opposition Party for
National Renaissance published a scathing assessment of the
situation.
The report said the impasse allowed
armed groups to operate again in the north, citing recent killings,
kidnappings, mine explosions and rocket fire.
***
April 18
***
PARIS, April 17 (Xinhua) -- French
troops have released five Malian aid workers kidnapped in the West
African country in February by an al-Qaeda linked group, the French
presidential office said on Thursday.
--
French forces kill about 10 jihadists, free five aid workers in
northern Mali, Radio France Internationale on 18 April 2014 (via BBC
Monitoring Africa – Political April 18, 2014)
[Presenter] Mali is in the news this weekend. French authorities
announced stunning rescue yesterday [17 April] of five ICRC
employees. The International Committee of the Red Cross relief
workers were kidnapped in the country's north between Kidal and Gao
on 8 February this year. MUJAO [Movement for Monotheism and Jihad in
West Africa] immediately claimed responsibility following the
abduction.
Their release was carried out by French military special forces in
Mali, which were especially busy on Wednesday night [16 April]. The
French forces managed to free the hostages after intercepting two
vehicles moving towards the north of Timbuktu. At least 10 of the
jihadist fighters were killed. Let us listen to what the deputy
spokesperson at the army HQ, Col Pascal Georgin, had to say about it.
[Georgin] This is because the operation
was mainly carried out by the special forces operating in the area
north of Timbuktu after identifying a target which was identified as
a group of terrorists moving aboard two vehicles. The operation was
by air and on the ground and involved the use of helicopters, which
were engaged in confronting the target in order to neutralise a part
of the terrorist group and free five people held as hostages.
There were exchanges of gunfire because
once the warning shots were made, the attackers engaged us in a
shootout. It was at that time that we moved in to neutralize the
enemy. The number of the group of terrorists we neutralised was about
10 enemy fighters. We can effectively think that there was [word
indistinct].
[Fourt] Were the Malians informed about
this operation? Were they in the know since it was an operation to
free Malian nationals with French help?
[Georgin] It was an operation that I
cannot tell you at this stage whether Malians were informed before
its launch but I can tell you that it was an opportunity we took an
advantage of. Obviously, the Malian authorities were informed right
from the start about this operation.
[Presenter] This interview was granted
to our correspondent Olivier Fourt.
***
April 16
***
(...) The size of Africa, itself — twice as
wide as the United States from East to West — creates asignificant
transportation problem, said Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Robert R. Ruark,
director of logistics on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
U.S. forces currently are deployed in
Niger, Mali, South Sudan, Somalia, the Central African Republic and
Djibouti. The Republic of Djibouti is in the Horn of Africa, on the
North East tip of the continent. The U.S. base there serves as the
main hub for military operations because it is the only location on
the continent that can provide the required services. This limits
commanders' response time if they have to move troops to other
regions of Africa, Ruark said. "We seem to be operating mainly
from one enduring location."(...)
--
The U.S. conducted operations in
western Africa last year in a French-led mission against extremists
who, aligned with local desert tribesmen, ousted the democratically
elected president of Mali. Over several months, the U.S. provided the
French military with airlift, air refueling and intelligence along
with a small team of U.S. personnel on the ground.(...)
--
Jeremy Binnie, Nigeria to buy new
fighters, helos, Jane's Defence Weekly, 16 April 2014
(…) Nigerian media reports suggest
the NAF’s Alpha Jets are currently its primary fixed-wing COIN
assets. Two were deployed to Niger to support the African
intervention force in Mali in January 2013, one of which subsequently
crashed. (...)
***
April 15
***
Het Nederlandse militaire kamp bij de
stad Gao in Mali is maandag beschoten. Niemand raakte gewond. Dat
heeft Defensie bevestigd. Een granaat sloeg maandagmorgen op ruim een
kilometer afstand buiten de poort in. De beschieting is
waarschijnlijk het werk van moslimextremisten. De rebellen hebben
recent de beschikking gekregen over zwaarder wapentuig. Sinds de
Kerst hebben er zich zes beschietingen voorgedaan. Defensie zegt hier
vooraf rekening mee te hebben gehouden. „Vervelend is het wel.”
(...)
--
Ruim 70 militairen zijn vanmiddag vanaf
Schiphol naar Mali vertrokken. Ze maken deel uit van de hoofdmacht
van de stabilisatiemissie van de Verenigde Naties (VN).
De militairen gaan in Mali inlichtingen
verzamelen, verwerken en interpreteren. Dat doen ze voor de militaire
partners binnen de Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission
in Mali (Minusma). De komende weken vertrekken nog ruim 300
militairen naar het Noord-Afrikaanse land. Onder hen commando’s,
leden van het Apache-gevechtshelikopterdetachement en
inlichtingenpersoneel. Het leeuwendeel van deze groep gaat 22 april
naar Mali.
--
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) Senegal plans to send more peacekeeping troops to
neighboring Mali, where international forces are trying to restore
stability after jihadi extremists took over the country"s north.
Senegalese President Macky Sall
announced Monday that he would send in 250 more troops during a visit
by the Malian leader, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
Around 500 Senegalese soldiers are
already in the country as part of a United Nations peacekeeping
force.
Mali descended into chaos following a
2012 coup, and al-Qaida-linked militants seized control of the much
of the country"s north. French troops intervened to push back
the radicals last year, and thousands of U.N. peacekeepers are now
helping to maintain peace.
***
April 14
***
Malian army conducts large-scale
security operation at border with Mauritania, ORTM TV on 14 April
(via BBC Monitoring Africa, April 16, 2014)
[Presenter] In Timbuktu, the military
has just completed a large-scale patrol operation in Goudam and Nere
sector towards the Mauritanian border. The mission was aimed at
sensitizing and reassuring the nomadic and sedentary population who
are the foremost victims of lootings and robberies. On the ground,
the soldiers have arrested suspects, seized weapons as well as about
10 motorbikes. Adama Djinde's report from ORTM Timbuktu.
[Djinde] Although the Fifth Military
Region of Timbuktu is pacified, the military remains on constant
alert. Significant logistic means have been deployed with a view to
initiating a large-scale patrol in the areas of Goudam, Eshel,
Bitangoudou, Frash, Lere, and Larnam, at the Mauritanian border. The
operation aims to reassure and secure the nomadic and sedentary
population in the localities visited.
[Col Keba Sangare, head of Timbuktu
military operations] This mission fits within the framework of our
assignments in Gao as well as the major patrols to increase the
security level and also initiate civilian-military actions towards
the population living in the countryside. We are extremely cautious,
and we need the collaboration of the population to flush out the
enemy far from our borders or destroy him in case of opposition.
[Djinde] The troops are more than
resolved to launch the final assault and destroy the enemy. Despite
the heavy sun, the hot atmosphere and sand, the convoy moved forward
in dust clouds. The natural obstacles could not thwart the advance of
the soldiers. With great professionalism, they meet to apply the
instructions. We are in Pintakoutou, a village where a discussion on
the security situation was held. The mission has made it possible to
arrest two suspects, seize weapons, and about 10 motorbikes. [end
recording]
--
In
March the government of Chad, which joined France in putting down the
rebellion in north Mali, claimed that its troops had killed both
Belmokhtar and Abou Zeid, although the US is still offering five
millions dollars (3.6 million euros) for information leading to his
detention.
Now several security sources have told journalists that Belmokhtar
has left Mali, where French troops and US drones were searching for
him, has taken refuge with other armed Islamists in Libya.
He is planning more attacks on
Westerners and their interests, they say.
--
(...)
U.S. Facility near Gao, Mali. This austere compound is thought to
have been overrun by Islamist forces in 2012. Credit: U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers.
As part of the webinar for industry representatives,
Wayne Uhl, chief of the International Engineering Center for the
Europe District of the Army Corps of Engineers, shed light on
shadowy[
20] U.S. operations in Mali before (and possibly after[
21])
the elected government there was overthrown in a 2012 coup led by a
U.S.-trained officer. Documents prepared by Uhl reveal that an
American compound was constructed near Gao, a major city in the north
of Mali. Gao is the site[
22] of multiple Malian military bases and a
"strategic" airport captured[
23] by Islamist militants in
2012 and retaken by French and Malian troops early last year. (
...)
***
April 13
***
Fugitive jihadist commander Mokhtar
Belmokhtar is hiding in Libya, from where he plans to mastermind
terrorist attacks across Africa's Sahel region, security sources told
AFP on Sunday.
The elusive Islamist, who staged a deadly siege of an Algerian gas
plant in January last year, was said to have been killed in northern
Mali two months later, although security experts have since expressed
doubts over the reports.
"For some time we have had evidence that Mokhtar Belmokhtar, one
of the most dangerous Algerian Islamists, who operated in northern
Mali, has gone to Libya to avoid being arrested or killed. From the
Libyan territory, he intends to control the entire Sahel," a
Malian security source said.
Belmokhtar's whereabouts were confirmed by a Nigerian security
source, and another source close to MINUSMA, the United Nations
peacekeeping mission in Mali.
"Everyone agrees today that he is
not dead, that he is still active, but that he has settled for a
while in Libya where he is still active," the MINUSMA source
told AFP.
Belmokhtar was a leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM),
which, along with other armed Islamist groups, took advantage of a
military coup in 2012 to occupy northern Mali before being driven out
by French and African troops.
He split from AQIM last year and
launched the Signatories in Blood, masterminding a raid of Algeria's
In Amenas gas plant in which 38 hostages were killed in a four-day
siege.
The attack was said to have been carried out in retaliation for the
French-led military intervention in Mali.
Branded "The Uncatchable",
the one-eyed Islamist is also believed to be behind twin car bombings
in Niger in May 2013 that left at least 20 people dead.
- $5m reward -
The United States designated
Belmokhtar's group as a terrorist organisation in December, and the
State Department is offering a $5 million reward for information
leading to the Algerian's capture.
General David Rodriguez, head of the US
Africa Command, told reporters in January that Belmokhtar, who cut
his teeth fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s, was still
alive and had the means to stage another attack similar to the
Algeria raid.
Belmokhtar was involved in fighting against Chadian forces in Mali's
northeastern Ifoghas mountains and was reported to have been killed
in action in March last year.
The reports, however, were never confirmed and Rodriguez said
Belmokhtar was "in the middle of the Sahel", exploiting the
porous borders between southwest Libya and northeastern Mali.
He said the US was trying to help Libya
and other countries in the region bolster security and counter the
threat posed by extremists.
Mali has been the target of a series of attacks claimed by Islamist
insurgents loyal to Belmokhtar and other jihadist commanders since
France launched its military intervention in January last year.
The residual groups of fighters are no
longer able to carry out coordinated assaults, but Malian soldiers
are vulnerable to small-scale attacks, by Islamist groups and by
separatist rebels from the country's Tuareg ethnic group.
***
April 12
***
The UN humanitarian coordinator for Mali says the country is in a
deepening state of humanitarian crisis, with an additional 400,000
people expected to face food-insecurity by June.
Humanitarian assistance is drastically
underfunded and the return of refugees who fled the conflict in 2012
and 2013 is making things worse.
The United Nations says 1.4 million
people in Mali are currently in need of food assistance. This is up
from 812,000 people in December 2013 and could rise to 1.9 million by
June, as the lean season sets in. (
...)
***
April 11
***
This September’s Military Airlift
event will be held in London, UK, and, among the topics to be
addressed, will include the role of airlift operations in Mali and
the Central African Republic, the A400M’s early operational
performance, and the key ways in which this capability can become
more affordable in the coming years.
--
De ‘HC Lara’ , een door de
Verenigde Naties (VN) gecharterd schip met een ruim vol Nederlands
materieel voor de Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission
(MINUSMA) is aangekomen in Ivoorkust. In Abidjan, de grootste haven
van het land, wordt alles gelost en naar Mali getransporteerd. (
…)
***
April 10
***
Are Economic Sanctions Effective Against Rogue Rulers ?, Global Voices, April 10, 2014
(...) Economic sanctions and military intervention in Mali,
After Captain Amadou Sanogo and his troops took power[8] [en] in 2012,
the international community immediately announced sanctions [9]and
withdrew its development aid[10] in Mali. But the situation rapidly worsened as rebel groups fought for independence for Northern Mali[11] [en] and international military intervention began, led by France.
[
Image removed: distribution de nourriture pour les réfugiés maliens -
via wikimédia commons CC-BY-NC ][12] Food being distributed to Malian
refugees. Photo via Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-NC
The United Nations
Development Program (UNDP) and the Malian minister for humanitarian
action issued a final report on the impacts of the crisis. The report
was unambiguous on the negative impact[13] of the sanctions on the
country's economy and its dependence on development aid:
The
economic sanctions include two elements: the suspension of development
aid by the technical and financial partners, and the economic embargo
imposed by the Economic Community of West African States[14]:
The consequences of these events have been revealed through the following conditions:
- the suspension of cooperation with partners;
- the decline in activity (investment, production, bank, commercial, import/export, inflation);
-
the decline in the population's buying power through the increase in
the consumer price index, and the loss of confidence of economic agents
(uncertainties);
- the decline in budgetary revenues (budget revisions, etc.);
-
the decline in spending on social sectors (the Strategic Framework for
Growth and Poverty Reduction and the [United Nations'] Millennium
Development Goals, etc.).
[...] One of the key lessons of the political and security crisis lies in Mali's great dependence on its foreign relations. [...]
Once again, the imposed sanctions penalized the already fragile local
population. These sanctions did not result in a return to good
government, as external military intervention was necessary to stabilize
the country.
***
April 9
***
Mali mandate: EUTM; prepares for phase two, Jane's Defence Weekly, April 9, 2014, pp. 20-21
Two years ago the Malian Armed Forces lost a war to militants in the north and deposed the country’s government in a coup. Now they are being rebuilt by an EU mission. Guillaume Belan reports (...) By then [May 2016], a significant percentage of the Mali’s soldiers will have been through the training. After a recruitment drive, the FAMa currently has a strength of 14,000, with th e Gendarmerie and
National Guard adding another 13,000. It will also mean that Mali will be able to have three of four of its comparatively elite battalions deployed in the turbulent north at any given time. (...)
--
French radio explains Malian premier's resignation, Radio France
Internationale on 6 April (via BBC Monitoring Africa – Political,
April 9, 2014)
[Presenter] After the surprising resignation of
Prime Minister Oumar Tatam Ly last Saturday [5 April] in Mali, we now
know much more about the reasons for his departure. He slammed the
door and was immediately replaced by Moussa Marra who had until now
been the minister of planning and towns. Barely seven months after
being at the head of a team doing immense major work of
reconciliation between the citizens of a country, which was torn
apart by a year and a half of crisis, Oumar Tatam Ly resigned due to
difference of opinion with President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita [IBK]. We
go over to Bamako for further details with our correspondent Serge
Daniel.
[Daniel] Oumar Tatam Ly was not fired.
It was he who slammed the door. In his resignation letter, he
explained that he was no longer in a position to carry out his
assignment. He also spoke about different viewpoints between the
president of the republic and him on several issues. The prime
minister who resigned does not hide his bitterness.
In his letter, a copy of which RFI has,
he asserted, with exact dates, that he tried to convince President
IBK of the need to review the present style of governance especially,
I quote, the dysfunctions and inadequacies found in the government
which reduce greatly its ability to face up to challenges.
Did Karim Keita, who is a deputy in the
National Assembly and son of the Malian president, play any role in
the resignation of the prime minister? Oumar Tatam Ly did not mention
him in his letter, but a section of the Malian media has for some
time now been accusing the son of the president openly of creating
impediments for the prime minister who resigned. In order apparently
to make the point, the latter tendered in only his resignation and
not that of his government.
***
April 8
***
Jihadists reportedly use new strategy
to launch attack in northern Mali, Radio France Internationale,
Paris, in French 8 Apr 2014 (via BBC Monitoring Africa – Political)
Rocket attacks hit the town of Kidal in Mali on Monday [7 April].
The attack is attributed to Islamists who occupied the north of the
country for several months in 2012 before being chased away by an
international coalition led by France. Nevertheless they are still
active in this vast region where they regularly commit attacks, some
of which are deadly.
It seems the Islamists are using use rockets to attack towns in
northern Mali, as their new strategy. Observers on the ground have
expressed concern. In recent statement, the UN Secretary General, Ban
Ki-moon expressed these fears: "The situation in northern Mali
is deteriorating."
Several security services in the region are absolutely sure: it seems
that, in order to bring in weapons and fighters, the jihadists have
managed to open an efficient passage between Libya, which is in a
crisis, and northern Mali.
On the other side facing them, only the
French army makes its presence felt. The UN Mission in Mali, MINUSMA,
has only mobilized half of the fighting units that are needed. What
these troops are lacking most are military weaponry, especially
helicopters.
***
April 7
***
Militants fired rockets at a school and
a French army camp in the northern Malian city of Kidal on Monday,
without managing to hit their targets, military sources said.
"On Monday at 7:00 am (0700 GMT),
Islamists fired four rockets at Kidal. One rocket was headed to the
French military camp and the fourth to a school. There are no
victims," a Malian military source told AFP.
A French army source said that "three
rockets were fired at Kidal, (which) did not cause any damage".
Residents said that after the attack,
"heavily armed" French soldiers were patrolling the streets
of Kidal, which lies deep in the desert north of the west African
sub-Saharan nation.
Several Islamist groups linked to Al-Qaeda occupied northern Mali in
2012 before being driven out of the vast desert region's major towns
and cities by a French-led military intervention launched in January
last year.
While the Islamists' organisational
structure was largely destroyed in the army operation, splinter
groups are holed up in the desert and launch regular guerrilla-style
attacks, some of them deadly.
--
Former UN Officials Urge French President to Support Human RightsMonitoring in Western Sahara, Sahara Press Service (El Aaiun), April
7, 2014
(…) Last
year, France was forced to respond militarily to the grave threat
posed by renewed conflict and extremism in Mali. The similarity
between Mali and Western Sahara is striking. Both are in the Sahel
region, where extremist groups including Al Qaeda prey on local
grievances to attract recruits and co-opt armed movements. As in
Mali, Western Sahara contains a distinct group of people - the
Saharawi - who do not feel politically or culturally connected to
Morocco and who have a history of armed resistance.
It is vital that we take pre-emptive action to defuse tensions in
Western Sahara in order to avoid a repeat of Mali, which could
endanger French and Western security and necessitate a similarly
challenging intervention. (…)
Frank Ruddy, Former Deputy Chairman
UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, and Peter van Walsum
Former UN Secretary General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara,
United Nations
***
April 5
***
Former Malian president's home attacked
by gunmen, Agence France Presse, April 5, 2014
One gunman was killed during an armed
assault on the private residence of former Malian president Alpha
Oumar Konare in the country's capital, guards told AFP on Saturday.
Konare, who was head of state from 1992
to 2002, was away from the property in the eastern outskirts of
Bamako when the attack took place on Friday night.
But his wife, historian Adame Ba
Konare, was at home with the couple's grandchildren when around ten
gunmen stormed the compound, a member of the family's official guard
told AFP.
"More than ten people dressed in
civilian clothes cut the electricity in the area, climbed the walls
and fired inside the Konare residence," he said.
"At the moment, we do not know who
carried out or ordered it. But they wanted to kill. We retaliated in
self-defence, this is when one of the attackers was killed," the
guard said.
"Everything happened quickly. The
light was cut in the residence, we heard gunshots and the guards
responded."
Malian police recovered "at least
one mobile phone" from the body of the assailant who was killed,
a source close to the force told AFP.
"We already know that the
assailants attacked the premises in one group, who came from the
north side of the residence, and another which arrived from the Niger
river side," he added.
Since his voluntary departure from
power in 2002, Konare has remained largely private, avoiding
commenting on Malian political life.
--
ALGIERS- Foreign Minister
Ramtane Lamamra said Saturday that the state would spare no effort
and continue to mobilize all the resources for the homecoming of the
members of the Algerian consulate, abducted two years ago in Gao,
Mali, safe and sound.In an address at a meeting with the hostages'
families, at the headquarters of the ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Lamamra, "reiterated Algerian state's commitment and
determination to spare no effort and to continue to mobilize all the
available resources for the hostages to return home safe and sound,"
the ministry's spokesman, Abdelaziz Benali Cherif, told APS.The
meeting took place in the presence of Minister of National
Solidarity, Family and Women's Affairs Souad Bendjaballah, Deputy
Minister for Maghreb and African Affairs Madjid Bouguerra, senior
officials from the ministry of Foreign Affairs and other state
institutions, in addition to the head of the Algerian Red Crescent,
Saida Benhabiles.
***
April 4
***
The United States and Algeria have said
that they are working together to combat terrorism in North and West
Africa by strengthening both security and economic opportunity.
In a strategic dialogue, the US
Secretary of State, John Kerry and Algerian Foreign Minister, Ramtane
Lamamra said they were working to increase security coordination to
fight drug trafficking and kidnapping-for-ransom that fund terrorism
in North and West Africa.
"We want to do this so that
Algerian security services have the tools and the training needed in
order to defeat al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. And we will work
to address the instability that has spread throughout the Maghreb and
Sahel," Kerry said.
He said Algerian efforts in Mali and Niger underscore its
constructive role in regional stability.
The Algerian Foreign Minister, Lamamra
said Algeria would never back down from fighting terror and asked for
US help with electronic surveillance.
"The Sahel region has abruptly
evolved into one of our preeminent concerns as terrorism, human
trafficking, drug trafficking, and all kinds of criminal activities
have woven their webs and built their networks in the region,
threatening the stability and very existence of the people and states
of the area," he said.
Lamamra said it was now a necessity to
provide a decent future for the people of the region who are still
facing "dire living conditions and harsh adversity."
"We need to join forces to help
advance the emergence of stronger states in the Sahel and to develop
impactful economic plans to foster the best conditions possible for
both security and development," he said.
The foreign minister said this can be
done by creating jobs, encouraging the growth of small business, and
improving access to water and energy.
--
(…) With the 18 different agreements
Morocco signed earlier this year with Mali, in areas from
microfinance to infrastructure, Morocco is driving both greater
security and greater prosperity in the region, in the Maghreb. And I
also understand that his - after His Highness left Mali he left
immediately to go to Guinea, Gabon, and the Ivory Coast, where he
also brokered a series of new economic agreements. That's all just in
the first months of this year. So I guess it sounds like he and I
have a similar travel schedule. But apart from that, he's really
aggressively out there trying to manage this process and push it
forward. (...)
--
TIMBUKTU, Mali (AP) The head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali
says officials will soon begin the process of looking for barracks
where armed rebels can be confined.
Boert (sic!) Koenders announced at a press conference Wednesday that
the effort, aimed at reducing the number of weapons circulating in
northern Mali, will start this week.
Koenders says the initial search will
take place in Tessalit and Kidal, which is the home base of a
separatist ethnic Tuareg movement known as the National Movement for
the Liberation of the Azawad.
He says it"s an important step
toward providing security for the population of northern Mali, which
emerged from jihadist rule about a year ago following a French-led
military operation. The north continues to struggle with instability
and the separatists remain active.
***
April 2
***
The Lagos State Anti-Robbery
Squad (SARS) have arrested two persons for allegedly smuggling arms
and ammunition from Mali to Nigeria.
The suspects are said to be part of an
arms smuggling syndicate, that specializes in selling arms to
criminals, particularly crude oil thieves based in the Niger Delta
region.
The suspects were arrested at their
hideout in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital by police detectives led by
Superintendent of Police Abba Kiyari.
The police team recovered ten AK47
rifles and 19 AK 47 magazines, fully loaded.
The suspects, who smuggled the weapons
into the country from Mali through Bokina Faso, were alleged to have
concealed the weapons in sacks of yam flour.
(...)
In his statement, one of the suspects
allegedly named his main supplier as one Gbenga, who resides in Mali.
He said after purchase, he would carefully conceal the arms in packs
of condensed milk before stuffing them into bags of yam flour.
"I smuggle the arms from Mali into
Bokina Faso, then I Way- bill it as cargo using luxury buses to Lagos
and finally to Ibadan. Most of my customers are in Onitsha," he
said.
He added that he makes between N80,000
to N100,000 from the sale of one AK47 rifle.
See also: Boko Haram - MilitaryOffensive Against Terrorists Extends to Cameroun, This Day (Lagos),
Arpil 2, 2014
--
UN chief warns of weakening security in Mali, Associated PressInternational, April 2, 2014
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is warning that security is
deteriorating in northern Mali amid increasing terrorist activity,
and he urges United Nations member states to provide military
transport helicopters for U.N. troops to use across the vast region.
In a report to the Security Council circulated this week, Ban
cites an upsurge in attacks by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and
the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa against U.N.,
French and Malian forces using rockets and improvised explosive
devices. One rocket attack was in the fabled town of Timbuktu.
The U.N. chief says abductions and banditry contribute to a
climate of fear.
Mali was divided in
two for nearly a year by Islamic extremists.
Ban also urges all parties to grasp a "historic chance"
to promote national reconciliation.
--
A 112-member team of
Bangladesh Army left Dhaka yesterday to join the United Nations
Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)
for the first time.
A total of six contingents, including one battalion army personnel
and a naval unit, would be deployed in the African country.
A total of 1,446 members of the armed force will eventually be
deployed in the mission, says an Inter Services Public Relations
press release.
Bangladesh Army will deploy one infantry division, two signal
units, one engineering unit and one transport unit. Col Md Jahangir
Harun led the first team which left Hazrat Shahjalal International
Airport in the morning.
--
/ PRNewswire Africa / - On Tuesday the 1st of April, in Bamako took
place the transfer of authority ceremony of the European Training
Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali) between General Bruno Guibert and General
Marc Rudkiewicz, in presence of Mr. Richard Zink, ambassador and
leader of the European delegation in Mali.
During his speech, General Guibert paid
tribute to the 560 European servicemen of the mission: "I would
like to share with you my satisfaction for your strong commitment and
determination to achieve your objectives. You have given the best of
yourself to help our Malian comrades (...)".
During the first mandate, EUTM has set
the foundations for the restoration of the Malian armed forces,
helping the Malian authorities defining an army based on lasting
structures and providing them with military units, able to accomplish
the security mission in the north of the country.
The European Training Mission in Mali
gathers 560 European servicemen from 23 different countries. Its goal
is to contribute to enhance the Malian military capabilities, in
order to enable them to ensure the security and sovereignty of Mali.
The mission is integrated into the European Union global approach to
the Sahel.
***
April 1
***
INTERVIEW: Rear Admiral Cheikh Bara
Cissokho, Jane's Intelligence Review April 2014
Regarding Senegal’s capacity to
combat the threats it faces, the Chief of Staff of the Senegalese
Navy, stated, “What is enough? For the time being we are able to
face the actual threat in our waters. We have some French-built
corvettes, offshore patrol vessels, and light fast-attack
craft. Of course, the challenges have to be faced by the Senegalese
and other [regional] navies with limited resources. In the medium
term we need other capabilities, such as integrated radars,
interlinked to surveillance technology installed along our coast,
monitoring territorial waters. French Dassault Atlantique 2 maritime
patrol aircraft are permanently based at Dakar, but these are
currently being used in Mali. So they [the French] gent us a smaller
one [an Airbus Military CN235], which does the job pretty well.”
Previous Flintlock blogs on Broekstukken:
Military exercises and arms
(21 maart 2014)
Flintlock 2014 (21 Jan 2014)
The Dutch and the War on Terror … in Africa (11 Feb 2011)
Nederlanders in War on Terror….in Afrika (03 Feb 2011)
Previous Mali blogs on Broekstukken:
Wapenleveranties aan Libië en de buurlanden (07 Sep 2012)
There is also plenty of budget for more modest products. In april, the Dutch company Royal Ten Cate has been selected by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (OTS) to provide armor for the Ground Mobility Vehicle (GMV) for the US Army Special Operations Command’s (SOCOM) GMV 1.1. The command plans to purchase up to 1,300 GMVs over the next six years at about $245,000 per vehicle. Each truck will weigh less than 3.200 kg, hold up to seven personnel and be transportable by M/CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
