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: deteriorating security situation, Algeria, natural resources such as Gold (but not extensively), French deployments in Sahel region, informers
Earlier Mali in the press blogs on: January, February, March, April,
June, July,
***
May 31
***
Ex-Malian minister calls for probe into
orders given to army to fight in Kidal, Text of report by French
state-funded public broadcaster Radio France Internationale on 31 May
(via BBC Monitoring Africa - Political)
[Presenter] The former Malian defence minister spoke for the
first time since his resignation some days ago. Soumeylou Boubeye
Maiga called for a parliamentary inquiry to be opened. This is a
procedure for finding out the person who is responsible for giving
the orders for the battle of Kidal, which was lost by the Malian
soldiers to the armed groups of northern Mali. The explanations are
given by our correspondent in Bamako, Serge Daniel.
[Daniel] Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga was clear right from the start. His
political party, ASMA [Alliance for Solidarity in Mali], which has
representation in the National Assembly, is in the ruling coalition.
He therefore still supports, and more than ever, the actions of
President IBK [Ibrahim Boubacar Keita]. But in order that the truth
about the events of Kidal should emerge, the former defence minister
is calling for the setting up of a parliamentary commission of
inquiry. He does not want to be blamed for what happened.
His close associates insist just like
President IBK, that Boubeye did not give the order to soldiers on the
ground to attack the armed groups. The man who is still called by his
initials, SBM, indicates the direction before the members of his
party. If the commission of inquiry is set up some things will be
placed at his disposal, they said. These are namely, quote and
unquote, all the messages, all the SMs which were exchanged between
the people and they will see at this moment clearly, who talked with
who, who said what, who was the last person to talk to them, that
means to say, to the soldiers on the field and who continued to talk
to them.
When the media asked him if he was
implying that it was Malian Prime Minister Moussa Mara who made the
telephone call and an SMS to the soldiers on the field, the man who
was also the head of Malian secret service in the past, replied very
calmly and coldly, quote and unquote, the commission of inquiry will
reveal the truth.
--
Most news on meeting between MNLA and Malian government officials, without concrete results so far.
***
May 30
***
Spain's interior ministry says it has
arrested six men on terror charges in its north African enclave of
Melilla.
A statement said the men were suspected of trying to recruit fighters
for militant groups in Libya and Mali.
(...)
One man detained was described by the interior ministry as the "first
Spanish jihadist" to have returned from the conflict in Mali.
He was also suspected of attending a training camp run by Mali's
Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao).
In March, Spanish and Moroccan police
detained seven men whom they accused of running a militant cell
spanning both countries.
Together with a second Spanish enclave,
Ceuta, Melilla is the European Union's only land border with Africa.
--
Marking the Day of peacekeeping
operations in New York, the UN said they will be using more UUAV’s,
unarmed, unmanned aerial vehicles, to protect civilians and chase
dangerous armed groups. (...)
--
U.S. Army Africa and Special Operations
Command Africa are working together to support the Trans Sahara
Counterterrorism Partnership, also known as TSCP, with a train and
equip mission in Burkina Faso.
The TSCTP is a U.S. State
Department-led, multi-year, interagency program designed to counter
violent extremism by building the ability of communities to resist
radicalization, terrorist recruitment, and counter terrorism by
building long-term security force capacity and regional security
cooperation, US Africa Command (Africom) said.
The
partnership comprises the U.S. Maghreb nations of Algeria, Morocco,
Tunisia and Sahel nations of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and
Niger. The partnership also includes Nigeria and Senegal. (...)
--
WASHINGTON -- During the height of
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States military often
carried out dozens of daily operations against Al Qaeda and other
extremist targets with heavily armed commandos and helicopter
gunships
But even before President Obama's
speech on Wednesday sought to underscore a shift in counterterrorism
strategy -- away from the Qaeda strongholds in and near those
countries -- American forces had changed their tactics in combating
Al Qaeda and its affiliates, relying more on allied or indigenous
troops with a limited American combat role.
Navy SEAL or Army Delta Force commandos will still carry out raids
against the most prized targets, such as the seizure last fall of a
Libyan militant wanted in the 1998 bombings of two United States
Embassies in East Africa. But more often than not, the Pentagon is
providing intelligence and logistics assistance to proxies, including
African troops and French commandos fighting Islamist extremists in
Somalia and Mali. And it is increasingly training foreign troops --
from Niger to Yemen to Afghanistan -- to battle insurgents on their
own territory so that American armies will not have to. (...)
The United States flies unarmed
reconnaissance drones from a base in Niger to support French and
African troops in Mali, but it has conspicuously stayed out of that
war, even after the conflict helped spur a terrorist attack in
Algeria in which Americans were taken hostage. (...)
--
(...)
ACTIVITIES
Randgold Resources Limited, together with its
subsidiaries, engages in the exploration and mining of gold mines in
west and central Africa. It holds 80% controlling interest in the
Loulo mine located in western Mali; Morila mine in Mali; 89%
controlling interest in the Tongon mine located in the neighboring
country of Cte dIvoire; 83.25% controlling interest in the Massawa
project in Senegal; and 45% interest in the Kibali project, which is
located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as a gold
deposit at Gounkoto in Mali. The company was founded in 1995 and is
based in St. Helier, the Channel Islands.
(...)
--
Two aid workers killed in landmine
explosion in northwestern Mali, Radio France Internationale on 30 May
2014 (via BBC Monitoring Africa - Political)
[Presenter] Two Malian relief workers were killed when their vehicle
was blown by a landmine in the northwestern part of Mali yesterday
[29 May]. They were travelling aboard a vehicle belonging to the UN
High Commissioner for Refugees, which is a partner of the Norwegian
Refugee Council for which they were working. Our correspondent Serge
Daniel files the following report from Bamako.
[Daniel] The vehicle that was hired by the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees, UNHCR, was travelling on the Goundam-Timbuktu Road, which
is in the northwestern part of Mali. It had aboard some Malians who
were working for the Norwegian NGO, which is a partner of the UNHCR.
They had just distributed essential commodities to Malian refugees
who returned to their country.
A loud noise was heard in their
vehicle. It was in fact an explosion. The area in front of the
vehicle has just run over a landmine. Two Malian nationals were
killed immediately. It is not yet known exactly if it was a landmine
that was recently laid or a device that was buried in the earth
sometime ago. What is certain is that the jihadists have been
carrying out an asymmetric war which is summed up in suicide
bombings, especially the laying of landmines on the main roads
networks in the northern part of Mali after they were driven out of
their bases in the main towns in the northern part of Mali in 2013
after the intervention of the French soldiers. These landmines killed
at least about 20 people, both civilians and soldiers, in less than
one year.
***
May 28
***
Malian military increases vigilance
along Niger border, Malian state-owned ORTM TV on 28 May (via BBC
Monitoring Africa – Political, May 30, 2014)
[Presenter] We stay in the north of Mali, specifically in
Labbezanga town, the main gateway Niger. Since the outbreak of recent
fighting in Kidal, Malian forces have increased vigilance on traffic
flows along National Road 17. For the time being activities are going
on well the watchful eye of security forces. A team of reporters from
the ORTM and Dirpa [Public Affairs and Information Directorate of the
Army] visited Labbezanga. Daouda Zoumana Traore reports.
[Reporter] This is the official Mali-Niger border along National Road
17. The area has been the pride of economic operators and traders
from of the two countries. Niger and Malian nationals from all
socio-economic categories believe in the future. This is the reason
activities are running smoothly, but vigilance and cooperation is of
essence, especially in Labbezanga.
(…)
[Reporter] The population has always
helped the armed forces by all means. The activity on the National
Road 17 has never been interrupted, Malian and Niger traders confirm.
***
May 27
***
United States Special Operations troops
are forming elite counterterrorism units in four countries in North
and West Africa that American officials say are pivotal in the
widening war against Al Qaeda's affiliates and associates on the
continent, even as they acknowledge the difficulties of working with
weak allies.
The secretive program, financed in part
with millions of dollars from a classified Pentagon account and
carried out by trainers that include members of the Army's Delta
Force, was started last year to instruct and equip hundreds of
handpicked commandos in Libya, Niger, Mauritania and Mali. (...)
(…) J. Peter Pham, director of the Africa Center of the Atlantic
Council, a policy research group in Washington, said the United
States must make tough political judgments before investing in
ambitious counterterrorism training programs. Mr. Pham cited the
lessons of Mali, where American-trained commanders of elite army
units defected to Islamic insurgents that seized the north last year.
''The host country has to have the
political will to fight terrorism, not just the desire to build up an
elite force that could be used for regime protection,'' Mr. Pham
said. ''And the military has to be viewed well or at least neutrally
by a country's population.'' (...)
--
Mali's Defence Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga resigned Tuesday, a
week after government troops were defeated by armed rebels in the
restive northeastern town of Kidal, a presidential spokesman said.
"Mali's defence minister has
offered his resignation and it has been accepted," the spokesman
told AFP. (…)
--
A ceasefire agreed between the Government and three rebel groups in
restive northern Mali appears to be holding, the United Nations
reported today, warning however that recent deadly violence in the
flashpoint city of Kidal has displaced some 4,000 people who now
desperately need food, water and other necessities.
According to a UN spokesperson in New
York, the truce was signed last Friday between the Malian authorities
and groups involved in fighting in Kidal - the National Movement for
the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), the High Council for the Unity of
Azawad (HCUA) and the Arab Movement of Azawad (MAA) - after a
mediation led by the Secretary-General's Special Representative in
Mali, Albert Koenders, and the President of Mauritania and current
chairman of the African Union, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.(...)
***
May 26
***
An Algerian general on Monday warned of a "worrying"
situation on the country's vulnerable borders, faced with chaos in
neighbouring Libya and northern Mali.
"The deteriorating security
situation in the neighbouring countries are all factors that require
permanent vigilance and rigorous deployment," Boualem Madi told
Algerian radio.
Algeria has been an important ally of
the West in fighting armed extremists in the Sahara-Sahel region
since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings which toppled dictators across
North Africa.
But it shares 6,000 kilometres (3,700 miles) of mostly desert borders
with seven countries, including Libya, Mali and Tunisia, making it
increasingly vulnerable.
"We must remain very, very, very
vigilant," General Madi said.(...)
--
(...) "Boko Haram has for several
years now existed beyond the formal parameters where an arms embargo
or asset-freeze would affect the group," Jacob Zenn, from the
Jamestown Foundation think-tank in the United States, said. "Its
funding comes from kidnappings-for-ransom, which are already illegal,
and also non-state actors like AQIM [al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb]
and likely state actors that avoid the global financial system to
transfer money.
"Arms come from raiding Nigerian
armouries or smuggling networks, such as those from Libya via the
Tuareg region of Mali," he said in an e-mail exchange. (...)
***
May 25
***
BAMAKO, Mali, May 25, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- H.E.
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of the Islamic Republic of
Mauritania and Chairperson of the African Union (AU), visited Kidal,
in the north of Mali, this Friday, 23 May 2014, where he met with the
armed movements of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
(MNLA), the High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA) and the Arab
Movement of Azawad (MAA). The meeting took place at Camp 2 of the
United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
The discussions resulted in the armed
movements accepting an immediate ceasefire across the country; the
reaffirmation of their commitment to the Ouagadougou Agreement; the
immediate resumption of dialogue; the release of prisoners; the
facilitation of humanitarian operations and respect of international
humanitarian law; as well as the establishment of an international
commission of inquiry, as provided for by the Ouagadougou Agreement,
starting with Kidal.
This visit took place against the background of the occupation of
Kidal and other towns by armed movements since 21 May 2014. President
Ould Abdel Aziz was accompanied by Mr. Albert Gerard Koenders,
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Mali and Head
of MINUSMA, and Mr Ntolé Kazadi, Head of the Political Unit of the
AU Mission for Mali and the Sahel (MISAHEL).
***
May 24
***
Renewed fighting between Malian militia
groups erupt in north, Radio France Internationale, Paris, in French
1830 gmt 24 May 14 (via BBC Monitoring Africa – Political, May 25,
2014)
Fresh fighting was reported in the north of Mali today [24 May]. This
time around, it was not between the Malian army and the Tuareg rebel
groups.
But the MNLA [National Movement for the
Liberation of the Azawad] said that its troops, who were backed by
those of the MAA [Arab Movement for the Azawad], fought against the
MUJAO [Movement for the Unity of Jihad in West Africa] in the Malian
locality of Tabancort.
However, other sources say the fighting
was between a section of the Arab Movement for the Azawad - which was
backed by the MNLA - and another militia group.
The number of victims is not yet known.
***
May 22
***
French army reportedly
helps Malian military recover lost ground in north, Radio France
Internationale on 22 May (via BBC Monitoring Africa - Political)
[Presenter] Kidal has been in the hands of the MNLA [National
Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad] since yesterday [21 May]
but the Malian authorities denied it. Good evening, Christine
Muratet.
[Muratet] Good evening.
[Presenter] Good evening, Zephyr.
[Presenter] Is Menaka in the hands of the MNLA or not?
[Muratet] Well, Malian
Defence Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga confirmed on [state-owned]
ORTM [Malian Radio and Television Service] during midday that the
Malian army kept its positions intact in the north with the exception
of Kidal. Menaka did not fall, he said. However, the special
representative of the UN secretary-general to Mali, Bert Koenders,
announced during the day that the town of Kidal and Menaka are under
the control of the MNLA now and that the MNLA were also reported to
have recaptured Anelfis, Aguelhoc, among other towns.
This information confirmed the testimony of some inhabitants of
Menaka who said this morning that the town was under the control of
the armed groups. Nonetheless, according to the information from the
ground this evening, the French army was reportedly assisting the
Malian army to recover these positions in several localities, namely
Ansongo, Bourem and Al Noussarat [phonetic].
A diplomatic source in
Bamako said that the Minusma [United Nations Multidimensional
Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali] was busy throughout the day
stopping the advance of the armed groups in the northern part of the
country. Our source expressed confidence that the armed groups would
renounce advancing to these two localities in the north.
[Presenter] That was our correspondent Christine Muratet.
--
Mali's president called for a ceasefire in the restive north of the
country and ordered three days of mourning from Friday as Tuareg
separatists claimed they captured more than a key desert bastion
after slaying several soldiers.
Tuareg militants killed the soldiers
during clashes in the rebel-held town of Kidal on Wednesday, a United
Nations source told AFP, as a rebel leader said three armed groups
had also taken other northern towns.
After clashes during the day "the
situation is calm tonight in Kidal", which is under the control
of rebel groups, National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
(MNLA) spokesman Moussa Ag Assarid told AFP from Kidal.
"We took several towns from where
the army fled without a fight," he added, citing Anderamboukane,
Menaka, Aguelhoc, Tessalit and Anefis.
Mohamed Ag Rhissa, one of the MNLA
leaders, told AFP by telephone his group had taken "control of
the whole town of Kidal" and that "we have prisoners".
The fighting shattered an uneasy calm,
which had held since the MNLA took 32 civil servants hostage during a
battle that left eight Malian soldiers and 28 rebels dead.
"The noise of gunfire has stopped... There are prisoners and
deaths among the Malian army's ranks," a source from the
MINUSMA, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, told AFP,
adding that the rebels appeared to have the upper hand.
The fighting first broke out during a
visit to Kidal on Saturday by Prime Minister Moussa Mara, whose
government is backed by French soldiers who have helped dislodge
rebels and armed Islamic extremists from the desert north.
The government has said that the MNLA
is being backed in Kidal by Islamist fighters from Al-Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West
Africa (MUJAO) and others.
- 'We took control of the city' -
President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita called
for an "immediate ceasefire" in the fighting in Kidal that
had left "several wounded and caused the loss of human life",
the government said in a statement.
Keita's plea was "in line with
requests by the UN secretary general and (made) in the name of the
international community", said the statement read on public ORTM
television by government spokesman Mahamane Baby.
"Our men are still on the ground
fighting the joint forces of AQIM, MUJAO and other militants. That's
all we can say at the moment," a Malian defence ministry source
had said earlier.
Alghabass Ag Intalla, secretary general
of the High Council for the Unity of Azawad, said his group and the
Arab Movement of Azawad (MAA) had also played a key role in the
fighting.
"This morning, we were the first
to have been attacked by the Malian army. So we took up our
responsibilities. We mobilised the MNLA and MAA and together we took
control of the city," he said.
The hostages were freed on Monday as
1,500 Malian troops poured into Kidal, sent to restore government
control to the bastion of the Tuareg separatist movement, 1,500
kilometres (900 miles) northeast of the capital.
Mali descended into crisis in January 2012, when the MNLA launched
the latest in a string of Tuareg insurgencies in the north.
A subsequent coup in Bamako led to chaos, and militants linked to
Al-Qaeda overpowered the Tuareg to seize control of Mali's northern
half.
A French-led military operation
launched in January 2013 ousted the extremists, but sporadic attacks
have continued and the Tuareg's demand for autonomy has not been
resolved.
Tuareg separatists occupied the
regional governor's office for nine months before handing it back in
November last year as part of a June peace deal that paved the way
for presidential elections.
But the process deeply divided the MNLA, whose ultimate goal is the
independence of Azawad, the minority Tuareg name for their homeland
in northern Mali.
Up until the agreement, the Tuareg
group had refused to allow any government soldiers or civil servants
into the desert town.
- 'Sincere dialogue' -
The UN Security Council in a statement Tuesday called for an end to
violence across northern Mali.
It also called for "sincere"
peace talks and "reiterated that only a credible and inclusive
negotiation process can bring long-term peace and stability
throughout the country".
MINUSMA sources said several hundred
people had fled their homes in Kidal to the relative safety of nearby
desert camps.
With the UN peacekeeping mission soon
up for renewal, Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop has requested "a
much more robust mandate, under Chapter VII of the UN charter"
-- which allows for the use of force.
This would enable the soldiers to "deal
with threats on the ground and disarmament of all armed groups, in
particular the MNLA", he said.
The French army announced on Wednesday
it had sent 100 soldiers to Gao, the largest city in northern Mali,
where 1,000 of its troops are already stationed.
***
May 21
***
Mali urges UN todemand disarmament of all groups, Associated Press International, May
21, 2014
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -
Mali's foreign minister urged the U.N. Security Council at an
emergency meeting Tuesday to demand that all armed groups in the
volatile West African nation lay down their weapons, especially
separatist Tuareg rebels who launched a deadly attack over the
weekend in the northern town of Kidal.
Abdoulaye Diop also urged the council to approve "a much more
robust mandate" for the U.N. peacekeeping force in Mali. It is
authorized to help restore peace, especially in northern cities, but
not to undertake offensive military operations or chase terrorists in
the desert. (...)
***
May 20
***
(…) A ceasefire was declared in
2009 but many Tuareg had fled to Libya, where they fought alongside
troops loyal to Kadhafi, whose regime was battling a rebellion
inspired by the Arab Spring.
With Kadhafi dead and his regime defeated, the nomads -- heavily
armed and battle hardened -- made their way back to Mali and united
in late 2011 with other former rebels to form the MNLA.
Seen as the saviour of Mali in the immediate aftermath of its
military intervention, France has since been heavily criticised for
allowing the MNLA to regain a footing in Kidal when they ousted the
Islamists.
"For the public, France is a
supporter of the Tuareg," sociologist Mamadou Samake said,
explaining a small protest Monday in front of the French embassy in
Bamako.
Whether the battle for Kidal will prove the MNLA's downfall remains
to be seen, with victory for Mali's troops by no means assured.
"To take Kidal, you have to
control four major highways -- not only control them, but keep them
under control for several weeks," a foreign military source told
AFP.
"The Malian army has struggled in
the recent past and couldn't control all of these axes. Now, we'll
see."
--
France has delayed plans to pull troops out of its former colony Mali
after a fresh bout of clashes in a key town.
France said earlier this month it was ending its "frontal war
phase" in Mali after sending troops there in 2013 to free the
country's vast desert north from Islamists and Tuareg rebels who
seized control after a coup.
It planned to redeploy 2,000 of its
3,000 remaining troops serving in Mali under an operation named
Serval to other countries in the Sahel region.
***
May 19
***
--
Report Urges More Gear, Troops for
French Operators, By PIERRE TRAN, Defense News May 19,
2014
PARIS — France looks unlikely to boost the special
operations forces by 1,000 personnel, and the administration should
replace their worn out equipment as well as add to the inventory,
according to a French Senate report.
Spec ops forces
need that boost in numbers, since the units have been over-extended
and the kit is overused, a defense specialist said.
Sens.
Daniel Reiner, Jacques Gautier and Gérard Larcher delivered the
report on the special ops forces to the Senate on May 13.
The
2013 defense and security white paper called for adding 1,000 to the
3,000-strongforce.
The government is unlikely to hit
that target, but “it is not necessary to reach that,” Reiner
said. It is more likely the special ops forces will increase by 700
drawn from the Army, Air Force and Navy, he said. The report
recommends close cooperation with the action unit of the Direction
Générale de Sécurité Exterieure (DGSE), the foreign intelligence
agency, to offset the shortfall, he said.
The special
ops forces have been about 100 short of their staffing target over
the past five to six years, said a defense specialist who declined to
be identified.
As the personnel numbers are expected to
rise, the Senate report calls for more equipment, particularly in air
mobility assets such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and drones,
Reiner said.
The report also calls for cooperation with
the special ops forces of the US and European and NATO allies,
including Britain, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
The
forces should be deployed in a strategic role of force projection
while conventional troops provide the tactical function of “boots
on the ground,” namely, protecting the people over a long period
and deterring a collapse of security, said Vincent Desportes, a
retired Army general and affiliate professor at Sciences Po, an elite
university that specializes in international relations.“Special
forces can deliver a leverage effect, with a relatively small number
being used to deliver a large result,” Desportes said.
But
there is concern the French administration tends to blur the lines
between the strategic and tactical roles and has assigned missions
for special operations units that conventional troops would be better
placed to meet, he said.
The Serval campaign in Mali is
a case study. France ordered special ops forces to stop an advance
on Bamako by insurgents from the north. They succeeded and were
then ordered to drive back the fighters rather than leaving that job
to the French Army, Desportes said. That effectively relegated
the conventional troops to a secondary role, affecting
morale.
Over-deployment is exhausting the special
operators and wearing down their gear, he said. There is a need to
renew and add equipment such as a larger transport helicopter with
inflight refueling, and an attack helicopter, he said. The Boeing
CH-47 Chinook would meet that need. The existing Caracal is deemed
too small.
The Mali campaign highlighted the danger
facing the present light attack helicopter fleet. The pilot of a
Gazelle died after being hit by a single small-arms round in the
opening of the January 2013 Serval mission. Small-arms fire in the
same action forced a second Gazelle to land while a third back-up
helicopter rescued the crew and destroyed the downed
unit. France is expected to maintain a long-term presence in
sub-Sahara Africa and the special ops forces will likely face more
missions, Desportes said.
Daily Le Parisian reported May
10 that France sent a DGSE team to Nigeria to help recover more than
200 schoolgirls seized by the Boko Haram Islamist group.
--
The International Monetary Fund
expressed worry Monday over the luxurious $40 million new airplane of
Mali's president, despite his impoverished country's deep dependence
on international aid.
"We are concerned about the
quality of recent decisions such as the purchase of the presidential
plane worth $40 million and the issuance of a $200-million state
guarantee to allow a private company to buy supplies... for the
army," an IMF spokesman told AFP.
***
May 17
***
Malian army deploys regiment in Goundam
to secure population against banditry, ORTM TV on 14 May (via BBC
Monitoring Africa – Political, May 17, 2014)
[Presenter] In Timbuktu, the Malian
army continues its deployment throughout the region. It is this
context that the 52nd Regiment of the Goundam led by Lt Amadou Toure
has been installed. The military detachment has the mission to secure
the whole zone and dissuade the bandits present in the area. The
population is happy to see the Malian armed and security forces in
their city to ensure their security, says Adama Djimbe in his report.
[Reporter] By deciding to redeploy the
52nd Combined Regiment of Goundam, the armed and security forces
regain the ground for good. Its mission is to secure the population
and dissuade eventual bandits, who are numerous in the area. Colonel
Keba Sangare, the military commander of Timbuktu, has come to boost
the morale of the troops.
[Col. Keba Sangare, chief of military
operation of Timbuktu] The aim is to thank the lieutenant and his
troops who have come to install the 52nd Regiment of Goundam to
conduct patrols in coordination with the forces present in Niafunke
in order to promote security, especially with the ongoing development
of Faguibine Lake and the construction of the road.
[Reporter] The camp of Goundam in led
by the young Lieutenant Amadou Toure who says he and his troops are
proud of the welcome they have received.
[Lt. Amadou Toure, commander of 52nd
Regiment of Goundam] We also call on the population of Goundam and
all those who drive cars or ride bicycles or motorbikes to reduce
speed on this road.
[Reporter] This kind of regiments
should be deployed in the most remote areas in order to neutralize
foes' positions.
***
May 16
***
Three Malian armed groups start forum
for talks with Malian state, Radio France Internationale on 15 May (via BBC Monitoring Africa – Political May 16, 2014)
A forum of the three armed movements in the northern part of Mali
opened in Kidal today [15 May].
The MNLA [National Movement for the
Liberation of the Azawad], the HCUA [High Council for the Unity of
Azawad] and the MAA [Arab Movement of Azawad] are meeting in the town
of Kidal. The meeting is on their rapprochement.
Officials of the three movements hope to be able to reach a common
platform in order to prepare for the negotiations with the state of
Mali.
The forum is continuing until Saturday
[17 May].
--
'Africa is the U.S. Military's Next
Frontier', Africa News, May 16, 2014
(…) Not surprisingly, given the
ongoing U.S. interest in securing new fuel sources and growing
concerns over China's influence in the region, many of AFRICOM's
efforts are located in oil-rich regions - specifically Kenya, Uganda,
Ghana, and the Gulf of Guinea.
The Gulf of Guinea, which hugs the Western coast of Africa, has
received heightened interest of late given its proximity to the Sahel
and Mali, an alleged increase in pirating, and notably, both on- and
off-shore oil deposits.
In Takoradi, Ghana, for example - a
place affectionately nicknamed "Oil City" -AFRICOM trains
Ghanaian troops, conducts humanitarian missions, and meets with local
chiefs, NGOs, and fishing communities. (...)
***
May 15
***
French soldiers arrest ex-jihadist in north-east Mali, Radio France
Internationale on 15 May (via BBC Monitoring Africa – Political,
May 16, 2014)
We gathered that an
ex-commissioner of Ansar-Dine Islamists was arrested in the
north-eastern Malian town of Kidal. French soldiers went ahead to
carry out the arrest of al Housseini ag Ahyare, alias Mortalla.
This Tuareg was
arrested in his home on Sunday [11 May] with other persons. Mortalla
was suspected of being involved in an attack on a bank in Kidal in
December last year. Two African soldiers of the MINUSMA [United
Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali]
were killed on that day.
This Tuareg, who is close to the movement of Iyad Ad Ghali, was
transferred to Gao, where he is expected to be handed over to the
Malian services on this Thursday evening [15 May].
--
(...) The most recent scientific reports on
climate change warn that increasing drought in Africa is turning
arable land to desert. The national security report's authors
conclude that the slow but steady expansion of the Sahara through
Mali, which is killing crops and leaving farmers starving, may have
been a contributing force in the jihadist uprising in that country in
2012. Since then, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has seized control
of northern Mali and remains in conflict with the Malian government. (...)
***
May 14
***
Mauritania is central player in Sahel
security strategy – expert, Al-Jazeera TV, Doha, in Arabic 2100 gmt
12 May 14 (via BBC Monitoring Middle East - Political)
Mauritania sees itself as a central player in any strategy to restore
security in Mali and the Sahel region but it will only allow a token
French military presence on its Mauritanian territories, an expert
told Al-Jazeera on 12 May.
Commenting of the visit of French
Minister of Defence Jean-Yves Le Drian to Nouakchott, a Mauritanian
African affairs expert, Abdallah Mamadou Ba, said the visit, the last
leg of a West African tour, comes within the context of France's
troop redeployment plan in Africa and its new strategy to have its
forces in the highest state of alert in the fight against jihadist
groups in the Sahel region.
Le Drian's visit aims to strengthen
military cooperation with the Sahel countries, Ba said adding that
France asked Nouakchott to allow the establishment of a base for
mobile, rapid response French units in northern Mauritania.
But Nouakchott, he said, only approved a token presence of French
military advisers to help with the retraining of Mauritanian troops
to enhance their ability in counter-terrorism and in the
strengthening of security along its borders with Algeria and Mali,
especially in areas of danger to the north and east.
He highlighted Mauritania's role as an
effective actor in the group of Sahel countries (G5) in the new
French redeployment strategy.
Mauritania's self-perceived importance as a central player in any
strategy to restore security in Mali also stems from the fact that it
is home to thousands of Malian refugees and it plays host to a number
of political movements from northern Mali, he said.
Ba interpreted Le Drian's comments on pockets of terrorists still
active in north Mali in the context of armed groups changing the
pattern of their operations.
Armed groups are starting to carry out
small commando infiltrations to kill individuals perceived to be
helping French intelligence, like members of secular Tuareg groups
believed to be providing information and possibly material support to
French troops in the region, he said.
Le Drian told Al-Jazeera that the security situation in northern Mali
has improved significantly despite the presence of pockets of
terrorists still holding out in the region.
French military operations in Mali achieved positive results and
French troops will continue to fight against remnants of terrorists
still operating in the north, Le Drian said.
Mali recovered its territorial sovereignty and democracy but the
French mission is not yet complete, he added.
Le Drian was speaking after talks with
Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz in Nouakchott.
***
May 13
***
Algiers, May 13 -- Algerian army has killed a total of 12 militants
linked to Al Qaeda during a week's raid in the province of
Tamanrasset, near the border with Mali, media reported Monday
The troops discovered the dead bodies
of another two militants at Tinzaouatine locality in south Algeria,
pushing the number of militants killed there to 12, Xinhua quoted a
statement of the defence ministry as saying.
The television also showed pictures of
a load of weapons of different types seized by the army forces during
the military operation.
Algerian anti-terrorism forces launched an operation in Tinzaouatine
locality last week, killing 10 militants who hailed from Mali,
Tunisia and Libya, the statement said.
***
May 12
***
Brief van Frans Timmermans, J.A.
Hennis-Plasschaert, Lilianne Ploumen, I.W. Opstelten,
Denemarken, Nederland en Noorwegen
hebben gezamenlijk een plan uitgewerkt voor de inlichtingenketen van
MINUSMA. Dat plan heeft geresulteerd in de opzet van een
internationaal hoofdkwartier voor de All Sources Information Fusion
Unit (ASIFU). Noorwegen heeft besloten de infrastructuur voor het
kamp te bouwen, terwijl Nederland de CIS-systemen en het benodigde
netwerk levert. Het hoofdkwartier is volgens planning eind mei
operationeel. Momenteel is voorzien dat de volgende landen posities
binnen dit hoofdkwartier zullen vullen: Denemarken, Duitsland,
Estland, Finland, Noorwegen, Zweden en Zwitserland. Andere landen
hebben al interesse in deelneming getoond en gaan in de nabije
toekomst mogelijk ook deel uitmaken van dit hoofdkwartier. Naast de
internationale samenwerking in het ASIFU-hoofdkwartier, maken twee
Deense militairen deel uit van de Nederlandse Intell Compagnie te
Gao. China levert al een deel van de Force Protection voor de
Nederlandse troepen.
Short remarks: In the letter of four
Dutch Ministers the Dutch word 'informatie' (information) is used one time
and 'inlichtingen' (intelligence) two times. KCT, Special Forces, or
Commando's are not mentioned. Leaving the core of the mission out of
view, except international cooperation in creating an so-called All Sources Information Fusion
Unit (ASIFU).
On security in the region the letter is
rather rudimentary. More is happening than mentioned.
The position of the Malian government –
not doing concessions to Tuareg organisations - in the negotiations
is taken for granted. Which will hamper the position of Dutch
intelligence gathering in Northern Mali.
--
(…) "Terrorism in Africa is a global threat," Le Drian
said in Dakar. "We intervened in Mali for the sake of the
security of Mali and beyond that the whole of the sub-region but also
out own security. Mali's security is also west Africa's security and
France's, it's also that of Europe."
French troops in Mali found several hundred tonnes of weapons, more
than were needed for the armed Islamists' there, Le Drian claimed.
Senegal has upped its contribution to
the UN force in Mali, Minusma, from 590 to 800 over the last three
weeks but has been reluctant to send troops to the Central African
Republic, where France launched a military intervention last
December. (...)
--
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United
Nations has shelved plans to deploy surveillance drones as part of
its peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast due to improved security, but
is now seeking a company to provide the unarmed aircraft for its
peacekeeping mission in Mali. (...)
***
May 10
***
French defence minister in Mauritania
12 May, Sahara Media news agency website,
Nouakchott, in Arabic 1733 gmt 10 May 14 (via BBC Monitoring Middle
East – Political, May 10, 2014)
(…) French media sources said that France wanted to establish a
military base in the town of Atar, in northern Mauritania, to monitor
the movements of groups described as "terrorists" along the
strip between Mauritania, Algeria and Mali.
***
May 9
***
Report by Xavier Yvon and Pauline
Hofmann, Mali murder victims suspected of being French, Malian army
informers, French Europe 1 radio on 9 May (via BBC Monitoring Europe
– Political, May 9, 2014)
The repetition of the pattern is worrying. In recent months several
disturbing deaths have occurred in northern Mali. As the defence
minister has just announced that Operation Serval is entering its
final phase, several Malians have been murdered in their homes at
night by unarmed armed persons who have immediately disappeared. The
common feature of these victims is that they are suspected of having
supplied information about jihadis' activities to the French or
Malian military.
Have informers helping the French Army
become the target of the Islamists still active in the North of the
country? Neither the French Army nor the Malian authorities are
saying anything about this highly sensitive issue.
Since the beginning of the year the
United Nations has reported at least six such killings. The latest
occurred last week. A man was killed by two men who came to his house
by motorbike. He was a likely regular informer of the Army. He had
reported the presence of explosives near Kidal airport.
Strategy of fear - Responsibility for these killings has never been
claimed, either by the Islamist rebels of MUJAO [Movement for Unity
and Jihad in West Africa], nor by AQIM [Al-Qa'idah in the Lands of
the Islamic Maghreb]. But they seem to be part of an overall strategy
of sowing fear in northern Mali.
Last month, in the Timbuktu area, armed
men entered the market. They distributed leaflets, in Arabic and
French, threatening "to punish traitor serving the crusaders."
According to one notable in the city, the immediate effect was that
some inhabitants fell very quiet.
In Kidal, everyone is afraid of
everyone else, and suspicion reigns even among friends. Kidnappings
have apparently taken place. And, even worse, lists are apparently
circulating, with names of the Islamists' next targets.
--
Oklo Resources Limited (“Oklo”) or
(“The Company”) (ASX: OKU) is pleased to announce the undertaking
of a new follow-up Auger Drilling Program at the Dandoko Gold Project
in West Mali. Auger drilling is currently underway at the Selingouma
North and Selingouma South targets, located 4km and 6km from the
recent Disse and Diaba
rou discoveries.
Drilling (Reverse Circulation (RC) &
Auger) at Selingouma North and Selingouma South targets in February
2014 returned wide zones of strong hydrothermal alteration with
elevated gold and arsenic levels. Selingouma is considered highly
prospective for the discovery of new, wide, high-grade, gold
mineralised zones. The new Auger drilling program, based on the
results of the recent drilling, is aimed at refining future RC
targeting and drill testing for the potential of shallow goldmineralisation within the vicinity of
the recent drilling. (...)
--
(…) Randgold Resources, headquartered
in Jersey, Channel Islands, is listed on the London Stock Exchange
and the NASDAQ stock exchange. The major discoveries of the company
to date are mainly in Mali, Senegal, COTE D'LVOIRE, and Democratic
Republic of the Congo. - PNA
***
May 8
***
PARIS—France's defense minister
Jean-Yves Le Drian said Thursday that a French soldier has been
killed overnight during an operation in northern Mali, where the
French army has been conducting a huge offensive to tackle Islamist
terror groups since January 2013.
The soldier, who belonged to the
Foreign Legion's paratrooper division based in Calvi, Corsica, was
killed by an "improvised" explosive device, the minister
said said during an interview with BFM TV. (...)
--
France said Thursday it will deploy
3,000 soldiers to combat Islamist violence in the vast and largely
lawless Sahel region of Africa.
"Our role is to pursue counter-terrorism in north Mali, the
north of Niger and in Chad," Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian
said in a television interview.
"We are reorganising our
contingent so that 3,000 French soldiers are in that zone."
Le Drian said France was "in the
process of ending its frontal war phase" in Mali but added that
1,000 French soldiers will remain, based near the town of Gao in the
insurgency-hit northeast of the country.
--
Algerian forces concerned about Libya
crisis overspill, border threat, El-Khabar website, Algiers, in
Arabic 10 May 14 (via BBC Monitoring Middle East – Political, May
12, 2014)
(…) Security services have warned senior officials about a serious
deterioration of the situation in northern Mali after the command of
the French military operation, Serval, reduced the Rapid Strike
Forces in northern Mali a few months ago.
(…) According to an informed source, the security services had
warned a few months ago about the deterioration in the Azawad region
[of northern Mali] after the French Defence Ministry reduced its
forces in northern Mali before their mission was completed and as the
French forces could not destroy the enormous arms caches of the
jihadist salafi organizations and groups. The same applies to those
groups' hideouts in Ifoghas, Tighaghrar, Ijhalouk [as transliterated]
and Izoghak [as transliterated]. Furthermore, the African and Malian
forces could not fill the vacuum left after the withdrawal of French
forces from the administration of military operations in the volatile
regions of northern Mali, which may bring the region back to square
one.
(…) The source added that all
material, human and logistic resources were deployed along the
province's border with the southern provinces, including the air
force, to monitor the overall situation in the border region.
The air forces carry out daily
reconnaissance missions at night and during the day along the border
between Tunisia, Libya and Algeria. The task of monitoring the rest
of the border with Niger and Mali was assigned to the armed forces in
Illizi, Tamanrasset and Adrar Provinces.(...)
***
May 7
***
(…)
He said China would also like to join Togo and other African
countries in the fight against terrorism and transnational organized
crime for the peace, stability and development in Africa, amid
mounting non-traditional security challenges the continent faces.
(...)
Calling Mali an old friend and reliable
partner of China, Li told his Malian counterpart Mara that China
firmly supports Mali's efforts in defending national sovereignty,
unity and territorial integrity.(...)
***
May 6
***
Algiers, May 6 -- Algerian troops Monday killed nine militants in the
southernmost province of Tamenrasset, near border with Mali, the
media reported
The operation took place in a locality
of Tinzaouatine, Xinhua reported citing Alhadath news website. As
many as eight weapons were seized, including Kalashnikov guns and two
RPG7 rockets.
More Algerian troops were deployed on the border with Mali and Libya
to counter any intrusion of militants from these two troubled
countries.
A couple of days ago, Algerian army
troops arrested 20 armed men and seized their weapons on border with
Libya.
The Algerian forces killed five
militants belonging to the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West
Africa (MUJAO) last year, as they attempted to intrude Algeria
territory via the Malian border.
--
Armed Islamists in northern Mali have set up a commando unit that has
executed alleged collaborators accused of helping French troops and
Tuareg rebels, military sources said Tuesday.
"At least 11 people accused of
being informers for (French military operation) Serval or the
(Tuareg) MNLA (National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad) have
been slain in the past 11 months by the Islamists," one of the
Malian security sources told AFP.(...)
***
May 5
***
Indeed,
the antiregime propaganda coming from Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
(AQIM) does not fall on deaf ears. In an hour-long video clip, AQIM
denounces the corrupt Bouteflika administration and underlines the
country's political, social, and economic problems. The video
stresses the collusion of the regime with its Western allies,
especially France, which it says is killing Muslims in Mali. Some
discontented youths are buying this narrative and falling easy prey
to AQIM recruiters. Also, thanks to its very successful business
model, AQIM is wealthy: Reuters estimates that it has garnered at
least $150 million through kidnapping for ransom in the past 10
years, and it profits handsomely from smuggling and trafficking in
drugs, arms, and human beings.
Because of Algeria's porous borders
with Mali, Tunisia, and Libya, AQIM and its affiliates transit easily
and pull off attacks around the region. Making matters even easier
for terrorists, Algiers refuses to cooperate with its neighbors and
accepts no external involvement in its management of terrorism. Also,
the fact that the Algerian military maintains thousands of troops on
the border with Morocco, with which it is waging a longstanding
undercover war, limits its effectiveness in other areas.
--
The Czech military
wants to sell its redundant equipment, including the Soviet-made
Antonov 26 transport aircraft, to Mali but the Malian army is not
interested in the planes, daily Lidove noviny (LN) writes today.
It recalls that the Czechoslovak army used the An-26 planes from
1982. In the past few years, they were used for the training of
Gripen fighters' pilots.
The An-26s were discarded in April 2011 after almost 30 years, and
replaced by four Spanish-made Casa planes.
A delegation of deputy defence minister Tomas Kuchta offered the
An-26s to the Malian army at the end of April.
"The deputy minister presented the Czech armament industry's
possible participation in the modernisation of Mali's military to
representatives of the local Defence Ministry and armed forces. Since
the Malian air force has long used na An-26, he also mentioned the
option to sell the aircraft [to Mali]," Defence Ministry
spokesman Jan Pejsek told LN, commenting on the talks in Mali.
However, the Czech effort has failed.
Mali's representatives
have not yet promised to buy the redundant Czech military equipment.
"No agreement has been reached," Pejsek said.
LN writes that this is a bad piece of news for the Czech military
that expected to gain some 40 million crowns from the sale of the
planes and it would be even willing to lower the selling price.
The Czech Defence
Ministry also plans to sell the Mi-24/35 combat helicopters to Mali.
Their lifespan expires in 2016 and the military does not count with
them in the future.
The military may sell seven helicopters for 35 million crowns, LN
says.
Czech soldiers are deployed in Mali within an EU mission. Czech
soldiers are protecting the command of the European Union Training
Mission in Mali (EUTM) and training local units. The Czechs' mandate
in Mali is to be extended by the end of this year if Czech parliament
approves it.
($1=19.798 crowns)
--
(…) Implementation of the DOCA will
then see the Resolute group become the 100% owner and operator of the
Bibiani gold project in Ghana. About Resolute: Resolute is an
unhedged gold miner with two operating mines in Africa and Australia.
The Company is one of the largest gold producers by volume listed on
the ASX. Resolute's flagship Syama project in Mali is on track for an
increase in production to 270,000oz of gold a year following an
approved expansion to be undertaken through FY2016.
At its
Ravenswood mine in Queensland Resolute is investigating a number of
opportunities to add value by increasing gold production and lowering
operating costs. The Company controls an extensive footprint along
the highly prospective Syama Shear and Greenstone Belts in Mali and
Cote d'Ivoire. Resolute has also identified a number of highly
promising exploration targets at its Ravenswood operations and holds
a number of exploration projects in Tanzania surrounding its Golden
Pride mine.
--
(…) In August 2013, BilMukhtar's
group amalgamated with the Mali-based jihadist group the Movement for
Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), and formed the Murabitun
group. [BilMuktar is the infamous one-eyed extremist, who was
responsible for the attack on the In Aménas plant in Algeria.]
More
recently, BilMukhtar and his group have been reported to be operating
from southern Libya. Some informed sources suggest that pressure from
French forces in Chad and Mali, and US surveillance has effectively
forced BilMukhtar to go on the run in order to avoid being
attacked.
Libya's ungoverned and largely ungovernable southern
area with its easy cross-border routes is a safe haven for
BilMukhtar. (…)
--
Bamako, Mali (PANA) - Mali is to sign a
series of agreements this month with a number of countries, including
France, Chad, Niger, Algeria and Mauritania, Mr. Soumeylou Boubèye
Maiga, the Malian Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs, revealed
here Sunday.
The agreement with France is on defence while those
with Chad, Niger, Algeria and Mauritania will be on security
cooperation.(...)
Regarding the defence agreement with France,
[the Minister of Defence] said that Mali will renew the agreement it
signed with the Western country in 1985.
"This is an
agreement that will enable us to provide a legal framework for the
French-Malian military cooperation in terms of providing military
training and equipping the Malian army. " he said.
***
May 4
***
On Friday night [2 April], two men on a motorcycle fired at
Sidati Ag Baye, a resident of Kidal in his home. The man was taken to
Gao Hospital by the French Serval forces but he died on Saturday
morning [3 May]. The resident, who has links to the MNLA [National
Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad] Tuareg rebels, may have
been killed by terrorists because he was an informant for the MNLA
and French Serval Forces.
***
May 2
***
Na twee weken stampen en rollen op de
golven van de Atlantische Oceaan ligt de ‘HC Lara’ veilig
aangemeerd in de haven van Abidjan. Majoor der mariniers Mark Baart
verwelkomt het door de Verenigde Naties (VN) gecharterde schip vanaf
de kade. Het schip voer vanuit Nederland naar de Ivoorkust met
materiaal voor de ‘Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation
Mission’ (MINUSMA). Nederland doet daar sinds begin dit jaar
aan mee.
--
Malian army chief visits north, says
future not to be built "without Kidal", Malian state-owned
ORTM TV on 2 May (via BBC Monitoring Africa – Political, May 6,
2014)
(…) [Toure] I have heard the message on insecurity that you have
sent to me through the authorities. This means that there are many
things left to do. The purpose of my visit is to make sure that the
missions entrusted to us are successfully conducted, and see what
provisions can be taken to cope with the possible shortcomings or
failures. You have shown that your unwavering attachment to the
republic. We shall not build the future of Mali without Kidal.(...)
***
May 1
***
(...)
AQIM is of particular concern to Algeria, as it is an outgrowth of
the Algerian militant outfit Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat
(GSPC), and as such the group considers Algeria to be one of its
highest priority targets. As southern Libya descended into
essentially an ungoverned space, extremist groups such as AQIM have
benefited. A letter from AQIM emir Abdulmalek Droukdel to Belmokhtar
that the Associated Press recovered from north Mali speaks of the
need to take advantage of events in Libya. AQIM has taken advantage
in some of the ways that Algeria warned of, as "there are
numerous reports of AQIM commanders visiting Libya for weapons
purchases." n52 Illustrating these concerns, Algerian troops
discovered an enormous cache of weapons near the Libya border in
October 2013, allegedly including "100 anti-aircraft missiles
and hundreds of anti-helicopter rockets, landmines and
rocket-propelled grenades." n53(...)
The French military intervention, dubbed Operation Serval, pushed
the jihadists from the areas that they control. However, there are
clear signs that, a year later, the jihadists are back. The Guardian
explains: According to local sources but also the security forces,
jihadists have regained a foothold in several areas. Islamists have
pressured families hostile to their presence to leave their homes.
Over the past six months al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has
murdered several people who helped the French military in Mali, in
particular Tuareg members of the National Movement for the Liberation
of Azawad (MNLA). At least 10 people have been killed.... Three
groups are involved in the insurrection in northern Mali: AQIM; the
Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao); and Ansar Dine,
led by the Tuareg Iyad Ag Ghaly. The latter group are the most
visible in the field, concentrated in their traditional sphere of
influence, north of Kidal, close to the border with Algeria. n60
Not only did NATO's
intervention help to produce the jihadist takeover of north Mali, but
the safe haven jihadists have been able to find in southern Libya has
played a role in these groups' comeback. Fighters from both Ansar
al-Dine and AQIM fled from advancing French and aligned forces into
southwest Libya, where they blended with local militants. N61(...)
52) Chivvis and Liepman, North Africa's Menace, p. 6.
53) Lamine Chikhi, "Algerian Troops Find Huge Arms Cache on
Libyan Border," Reuters, October 24, 2013.
60) Jacques
Follorou, "Jihadists Return to Northern Mali a Year After French
Intervention," Guardian (U.K.), March 11, 2014.
61) Adam Entous, Drew Hinshaw, and David Gauthier-Villars,
"Militants, Chased From Mali, Pose New Threats," Wall
Street Journal, May 24, 2013; Chivvis and Martini, Libya After
Qaddafi, p. ix (noting that "southern Libya verges on becoming a
safe haven for al-Qaeda-linked groups recently chased from Mali by
French military forces").
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)
Het
gegeven dat Europa een neutrale bemiddelaar is, kan ook voordelig zijn.
De neiging bestaat wel eens de zwakte van Europa te overdrijven. Vaak
blijkt dan dat de sterkte van de VS als uitgangspunt genomen wordt (en
iedereen weet in hoeverre de VS zich daarvoor in de schulden heeft
gestoken). Bijgaande grafiek laat bovendien zien dat dit wel mee valt.
titel De kracht van het paradijs; Hoe Europa kan overleven in de Aziatische eeuw
ant in the 
