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: US military, peace negotiations, situation in the Northern part, dialoque, Mauritania, French, now-and-then something on resourches and mining,
Earlier Mali in the press blogs on: January, February, March, April,
May, July,
***
June 30
***
The
French Air Force has replaced the Mirage 2000 that crashed in Niger
earlier this month with another aircraft, bringing its fighter
aircraft detachment for Mali up to full strength again. (...)
***
June 28
***
Mali opts for compulsory military service from 2015SARAH COVINGTON, July 2014 Jane’s Intelligence Review
FOLLOWING A cabinet meeting on 4 June, the Malian government announced the introduction of compulsory military service for men and women aged between 18 and 35, starting from 2015. The move comes just one week after the resignation of Minister of Defence Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga.
***
June 26
***
Obvious
answers by Frans Timmermans, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs to Parliamentary questions by Jasper van Dijk (Socialist Party, SP) on NYT article
“U.S. Trains African Commandos toFight Terrorism”.
--
The Security Council on Wednesday extended for another year the UN
mission in Mali, calling on it to prioritize efforts to facilitate
peace talks and expand its presence in the north.
The maximum level of peacekeepers will remain the same, at 11,200
soldiers and 1,440 police, as will the arrangement under which French
soldiers in Mali can lend a hand in cases of serious and imminent
danger.
According to the resolution, the UN mission, known as MINUSMA, should
"expand its presence, including through long-range patrols... in
the north of Mali beyond key population centers, notably in areas
where civilians are at risk."
The operation should
also make it a priority to get negotiations started between the
Malian government and Tuareg rebels in the north.
A ceasefire was agreed
on May 23 after violent clashes in Kidal, but talks have failed to
materialize.
The UN resolution urged
"Malian authorities to launch without delay an inclusive and
credible negotiation process," and called on all the armed
groups to put down their weapons.
MINUSMA, the council said, should "coordinate with and support
the Malian authorities" to get the talks going, ensuring it is
"open to all communities of the north of Mali."
(...)
***
June 25
***
”The lessons learnt
in Mali are advancing the case for wheels [in preference to] tracks.
The armies that have been observing the VBCt close up, notably the
Danish and the British, are particularly receptive to this,” Nexter
CEO Philippe Burtin noted. Jane’s Defence Weekly 25 June 2014
--
A Jewellery Quarter gold firm, which grew out of a 250-year-old
family business, will start mining in Mali next year after a
"transformational" acquisition.
(...)
It is thought there are 1.8 million ounces of gold in the Yanfolila
project in Mali and the plan is to mine as much as 80,000 ounces in
the first 12 months, and 60,000 ounces after that, generating between
£35 million and £40 million a year at current prices.
(...)
--
Mali security forces have arrested Mahamed Aly Ag Wadoussene, a
fugitive at the heart of a jail break in Mali's capital on June 16 in
which at least two people were killed and 22 prisoners escaped,
officials said on Wednesday.
(...)
--
Mauritania: French
armed forces Chief of Staff visits Mauritania, ANAPRESS - Pan African
News Agency, June 25, 2014
Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - The Chief of Staff of the French
armed forces, General Peter de Villiers, is on a two-day official
visit to Mauritania with security issues high on his agenda, the
Mauritanian News Agency (AMI) reported on Wednesday.
It said
he would discuss Franco-Mauritanian military and security cooperation
in the area, including the fight against terrorism and cross-border
crime in the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa.
The top French
military official had a working session on Wednesday with his
Mauritanian counterpart, Major-General Ould Cheikh Mohamed Ahmed.
On 21 May, Nouakchott hosted a sub-regional summit on
terrorism in the Sahel which was attended by the Group 5 (Mauritania,
Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad) aimed at coordinating and sharing
their efforts.
France and Western countries support the G5
initiative in this field.
--
(Nairobi) – The
government of Mali should establish a special investigation cell to
investigate grave crimes committed by all sides during the 2012-2013
armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Justice
Minister Mohamed Ali Bathily. The unit should consist of prosecutors,
investigative judges, and others needed to carry out the unit’s
work.
(...)
***
June 24
***
***
June 22
***
Mali agrees to clarify
purchase of presidential jet, military equipment, Radio France
Internationale on 22 June (via BBC Monitoring Africa -
Political)
The Malian government has agreed to take measures
in response to IMF requests for explanations.
The International
Monetary Fund requested that the government explain the purchase of a
new presidential plane worth 30m euro [40m dollars] and a contract
for military equipment amounting to 500m euro.
--
Tunisian leader urges
reinforcing of military ties with Niger to fight terrorism, Radio
France Internationale on 22 June (via BBC Monitoring Africa -
Political)
The Tunisian president arrived in Niger after his visit to Mali on
Sunday [22 June].
Mohamed Moncef Marzouki
called for the strengthening of security and military cooperation and
coordination between Tunisia and Niger so that they could confront
the terrorist threat in the Sahel-Saharan region.(...)
***
June 21
***
Mauritania votes in a
presidential election on Saturday, expected to be easily won by
incumbent Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. Below are key dates in the
northwest African country since Abdel Azis took power in a coup in
2008.
- August 6, 2008: A
group of generals, led by Abdel Aziz, seizes power, ousting the
largely desert nation's first democratically elected leader Sidi Ould
Cheikh Abdallahi.
- September 14, 2008:
Members of Al-Qaeda's north African branch, AQIM, kill a dozen
Mauritanian soldiers as they patrol the northern part of the country.
- January 16, 2009:
Mauritania suspends its relations with Israel in protest at its
onslaught on Gaza.
- July 18, 2009: Abdel
Aziz, who has left the army, wins first round presidential elections.
The opposition claims massive fraud.
- July 23, 2010: In a military operation, French and Mauritanian
troops try in vain to rescue French AQIM hostage Michel Germaneau in
neighbouring Mali. Six members of AQIM are killed. Germaneau is then
executed by his captors.
- September 17-19, 2010: Mauritania carries out a military operation
against AQIM in the region of Timbuktu in Mali.
- February 2, 2011:
Mauritania's army foils an attack which AQIM claims was aimed at
assassinating Abdel Aziz.
- June 24, 2011: The Mauritanian army destroys an AQIM camp in Mali,
killing 15 of the Islamists and losing two of its own men. On July 5,
AQIM attacks a Mauritanian army base. Several are killed.
- July 19, 2012:
Thousands of Mauritanians protest in the capital, calling for the
departure of Abdel Aziz, whom they accuse of despotism and
mismanagement. The march is organised by the opposition Coordination
of Democratic Opposition (COD).
- October 13, 2012:
Abdel Aziz is flown to Paris for medical treatment after soldiers
shoot at his convoy and wound him in what the government says was an
accident.
- November 23 and
December 21, 2013: The ruling Union for the Republic (UPR) wins a
large majority in the 147-seat parliament in elections boycotted by
10 out of the eleven parties in the COD.
- January 30, 2014:
Abdel Aziz takes over the rotating post of African Union chairman.
- June 6, 2014: Start
of the campaign for the presidential election, which is boycotted by
most of the opposition.
***
June 20
***
French forces are
aiming for "high value added" jihadist and subversive
Tuareg targets.
The Malian army's
disappearance from the north is "a nightmare for the French."
Although Operation Serval soldiers refrain from subscribing to this
European diplomat's opinion, they can hardly deny the negative impact
of the Kidal debacle on their main mission: tracking down terrorist
groups.
These last few weeks, the flag of the National Movement for the
Liberation of Azawad [MNLA), the main Tuareg separatist organization,
has reappeared near Gao and Timbuktu. "The MNLA is deploying a
soft strategy of occupying ground that has been left vacant,"
acknowledges a Malian leader. Well, the advance by the MNLA increases
the risks of direct confrontation between Tuareg separatists and
Bamako's soldiers as much as the terrorist threat. According to
corroborating sources, some jihadists active in northern Mali are
using the MNLA flag as a safe-conduct pass or the flag of a sister
organization, the High Council for Azawad Unity [HCUA], the "legal
front" for Ansar ed-Dine, a movement that fought against the
French army. On 11 June, terrorists carried out a suicide attack at
the entrance to the UN base in Aguelhok, killing four Chadian Blue
Helmets.
Raids
These events come at a
time when Paris is pleased to have delivered significant blows
against the jihadists in helicopter-borne raids carried out in March
and April. "Mokhtar Belmokhtar lost several of his lieutenants.
His organization has been greatly weakened," deems one French
military source. So has Iyad ag-Ghaly, the former Ansar ed-Dine
leader. Some of his lieutenants were eliminated or "defected."
This key personality of the Tuareg underground is nonetheless nowhere
to be found, protected by his perfect knowledge of the terrain, the
solidarity among Tuaregs that transcends political rivalries, and by
the possibility of finding refuge on the Algerian side of the border.
As for Al-Qa'idah in
the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb [AQIM], the organization has not
disappeared. It has reportedly moved on. "During Operation
Serval, most of the foreign volunteers were killed or returned home,"
confides a source close to this matter. "On the other hand, the
Tuareg 'katibas' (Liberation editor's note: cells) are still active
and are even gaining strength by recruiting local youths on account
of the political impasse that prevails in Kidal."
"Intelligence"
Under these conditions, the secret war could last in northern Mali,
where French forces, approximately 1,600 men now, are applying the
American strategy of aiming for "high value added targets":
an approach adapted to the constraints of a terrain that is as big as
France. "Targeting the chiefs is also a matter of impressing the
terrorists, showing them our complete knowledge of their networks,
and creating a feeling of permanent insecurity amongst them."
It is easier to say
than do when the adversary is applying the tactic of avoidance.
"Sooner or later however, the jihadists need to resupply in
food, fuel or spare parts for their vehicles," notes one top
French officer. Another one says, "Or one of them goes to visit
his wife on his motorcycle." "The Special Forces proceed by
windows [of opportunity]. One has to react quickly when they open
slightly - sometimes within half an hour - and strike." However,
many operations have been cancelled at the last moment, due to a lack
of absolute certainty about the target's identity. "If we want
to avoid going around in circles in the sand or in the sky with a
drone, then we always need good intelligence," underscores one
officer.
People in Paris
acknowledge that several local sources (in all likelihood connected
with French intelligence) have been assassinated by jihadists over
the past months.
--
***
June 18
***
Guillaume Belan, AASM in debut firing from F-16, Jane's Defence Weekly, June 18, 2014
(...) Since 2008 the Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) of the French company Sagem has been used in operations by French Air Force and Navy Rafale fighters in Afghanistan, Libya (225 dropped) and Mali.
--
ISLAMABAD, June 19 -- The Turkish government has
added three African groups to a list of terror organizations, the
Official Gazette reported on Wednesday.
The
cabinet designated Al Mouakaoune Biddam, Al Mourabitoun and Al
Moulathamoun - which are active in Mali, Algeria and Niger - as
terror groups linked to Al-Qaeda, Anadolu news agency reported. Their
names translate respectively as Those Who Sign in Blood, The
Sentinels and The Veiled. The development follows the United Nations
Security Council Committee meeting on June 2 in which the three
groups were made subject to asset freezes, travel bans and arms
embargoes.
(...)
--
The UN peacekeeping chief Wednesday urged Bamako and armed groups in
Mali's north to engage in political dialogue immediately, emphasizing
that the country's "status quo" was no longer acceptable.
"The time for peace talks is now," Herve Ladsous told the
UN Security Council, as it met to consider renewal of the mandate for
the UN mission in Mali.
Since a preliminary agreement was reached between Mali and Tuareg
rebels a year ago, Ladsous said, "the government and the armed
groups have made little progress towards real, substantive dialogue."
"The status quo
cannot stand: progress in the political process is urgent," he
said.
Algeria, which is helping to mediate the conflict, said Monday that
groups from northern Mali were ready to launch peace talks, but that
dialogue had still not materialized despite declarations of intent by
both sides.
Ladsous reiterated that
the mission would be sending drones to the area to enhance its
"situational awareness and its ability to protect civilians and
its own personnel."
And while welcoming the
arrival of combat helicopters to the region, he urged member states
that have pledged assets or support "to deliver on these pledges
as quickly as possible."
Ladsous said that by
the end of the month, the mission will have reached "77 percent
of its military strength, and 83 percent of its police strength."
A maximum force of
12,640 personnel -- 11,200 soldiers and 1,440 police -- has been
authorized.
(...)
--
Matthew Russell Lee, From Mali, On Azawad Flag Photo with UN
Peacekeepers, UN Sent 7 Burkinabes Home, But UN Envoy Koenders Now
Calls Photo Fabricated, InnerCityPress,
June 18, 2014
By UNITED NATIONS, June 18 -- When Mali's Foreign Minister Diop came
to the UN Security Council stakeout on the morning of June 18, Inner
City Press asked him about the photograph of UN MINUSMA peacekeepers
with the flag of break-away Azawad.
(…) Who runs Mali? Inner City Press asked Koenders if the Malian
Army had given MINUSMA or the French Serval force advance notice of
its May 21 offensive. 'No,' Koenders said plainly. That's to his
credit, and so we'll end this report right there. Unlike
Ladsous[3], at least Koenders takes questions and answers them. Watch
this site. Twitter Follow Button[4] Twitter Follow
Button[5]
[3]: http://youtu.be/rm1V-cY9u40
***
June 17
***
For over a week,
Algiers has hosted peace talks between the Touareg factions of
northern Mali and the central government in Bamako.
After two rounds of
fruitful negotiations with the rebels, representatives of the Malian
government held a meeting with their Algerian counterparts on Sunday.
The neighbouring
countries joined in on the talks on Monday (June 16th), as did the
African Union (AU) and the UN body responsible for monitoring the
situation in northern Mali (MINUSMA).
The aim is to swiftly
reach a peace deal between the rebels and the Malian government. The
situation in Mali is due to be discussed by the UN Security Council
this week and representatives of the Bamako government have openly
expressed their desire to see the international community support the
current peace efforts.
The meeting held by the
working group on Monday was attended by the Algerian foreign
minister, his counterparts from Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Chad, the
high representative of the AU for Mali and the Sahel, as well as the
special representative of the UN secretary-general and head of
MINUSMA.
Algerian Foreign
Minister Ramtane Lamamra pointed to the positive results from the
early talks, noting that his country would continue with its efforts,
alongside the international institutions, with a view to reaching a
consensus on how to resolve the crisis and peacefully end the crisis
in northern Mali.
This consensus will
take the stability and territorial integrity of Mali into account.
"We have every
reason to believe that this session will be an opportunity to
accelerate the efforts of the international community" to find a
solution to the Malian crisis, Lamamra said, adding that "a very
clear desire to work towards peace and reconciliation" was
observed among representatives of the rebel movements.
Malian Foreign Minister
Abdoulaye Diop mentioned the Malian president's determination to
"promote peace and reconciliation and move towards a peace deal
as quickly as possible". He advocated frank dialogue in the bid
to find a solution to the crisis.
For his part,
Mauritanian Foreign Minister Ahmed Ould Teguedi said that the shared
desire of the delegations who met in Algiers was to bring an end to
the spiral of violence in northern Mali, which could have an impact
on the entire sub-region. He recommended that all historical
disagreements be dealt with, including the marginalisation of
northern Mali.
Mauritania currently
holds the presidency of the African Union and the president of
Mauritania travelled to Kidal last month in the wake of the deadly
attacks to broker a Mali ceasefire.
According to the final
document issued at the close of the meeting, a roadmap and a
timetable will be agreed on and steps to build trust between the
Malian parties will be "actively discussed and implemented".
On the side-lines of
the meeting, representatives of the rebels in northern Mali called
the process aimed at reaching a "final" solution to the
crisis in northern Mali under Algeria's guidance a "success".
"We hope that this
process will be seen through to completion in the interests of all
parties involved in this process, including the Malian government,
the armed movements and people of Mali," said Ahmed Ould Sid
Mohamed, a representative of the Arab Movement of Azawad.
Mohamed Ousmane Ag
Mohamedoun, a representative of the Co-ordinating Body for the People
of Azawad, said that the process brokered by Algeria has begun to
bear fruit, as this meeting marked the "beginning of the real
and concrete negotiations, which will be held with the Malian
government".
--
Two people were killed and 15 prisoners escaped, including an armed
Islamist suspect, Mohamed Aly Ag Wadousene following a jail break at
the central prison in the Malian capital Bamako on 16 June, according
to the government. During a visit by plumbers to the prisoners'
cells, an exchange of gunfire resulted in the death of a guard and a
prisoner. According to the Ministry of Justice, eight prisoners were
captured shortly afterwards and the security forces began a hunt for
the remaining escapees. Ag Wadousene was a former member of the
Malian National Guard and stood accused of murder, kidnap, and
belonging to the extremist Islamist group, MUJAO. The Malian
authority's initial assessment suggests that the break-out was
organised without external help. The Malian government has suffered a
series of recent security setbacks, including a defeat of its army by
armed Tuareg groups in northern Mali and increased attacks using
rocket-propelled grenades by Islamist militants against the UN base
in Aguelhok.
Significance:It is unlikely that the jail break was an opportunistic
incident, given the semblance of co-ordination, the timing, and the
access to weapons. It will raise further concerns about the
capability of the Malian government and security forces to improve
security in the country as they face a renewed campaign of violence
by armed Tuareg groups and Islamist militia in northern Mali. The
Malian capital has been largely spared violent attacks, but foreign
facilities, such as embassies and mining sites remain aspirational
targets for Islamist militants. The risk of Islamist attacks in
Bamako remains moderate, but appears to be gradually increasing
because of the government's inability to reform the Malian army and
find a durable solution to the Tuareg insurgency. In the past,
jail-breaks in some regional countries (including Niger and Nigeria)
have been a precursor to Islamist attacks with the help of escaped
prisoners, and the threat level in Bamako will therefore rise in
coming days.
--
(…) The AASM is also available in an inertial/GPS and infrared
version. The AASM SBU-54 Laser was qualified on June 14, 2013 by the
French Ministry of Defense. Hammer missiles were deployed on Rafale
fighters in Afghanistan, Libya and Mali. At Eurosatory, Sagem is
teaming up with AA/ROK (Arinc group) to show the AASM as offered on a
C-130 Hercules in a ground support configuration, mounted on the
Rafaut outboard pylon.
(...)
--
Airbus Helicopters presents defense lineup at Eurosatory 2014, Airbus, June 17, 2014
(...) The French Army is to display
one of its NH90s - the multi-role helicopter deployed by this military
service and by allied forces in Afghanistan, and used for the French
Navy's rescues of more than 120 persons; along with the presence of
Tiger attack helicopter, which has been combat-proven while serving in
Afghanistan, Libya and Mali.
Completing
the company's presence at Eurosatory - its first in the Airbus
Helicopters identity following the rebranding from Eurocopter - are
scale models of the EC725 Caracal, endorsed through combat deployments
with French forces in Afghanistan along with the support of France's
role in NATO-led operations during the Libyan military campaign and
French Special Forces missions in Mali; as well as the military Panther version of the well-known Dauphin family. (...)
--
The police say a network of militants with footholds in Spain and
Morocco has recruited and sent volunteers to join insurgencies from
Mali to Libya to Syria.
(…)
***
June 16
***
Inmates break out of
high security prison in Malian capital 16 June, Radio France
Internationale on 16 June (via BBC Monitoring Africa - Political)
In Mali, some prisoners broke out of the High Security District of
the Bamako Civilian Prison this afternoon [16 June].
Up until now, the
number of the prisoners who fled is not known as yet. One of them
opened fire on a prison warden who later died from his injuries.
***
June 15
***
(…) After meeting Lamamra, the head of the United Nations
peacekeeping force in Mali, known as MINUSMA, said negotiations are
now a priority.
"The region will be in danger if
there is no reconciliation," state television quoted Albert
Gerard Koenders as saying.
He added that it was "important to organise inclusive
negotiations" with the aim of restoring peace to northern Mali.
Pierre Buyoya, the African Union's representative for Mali and the
Sahel, praised the Algerian government and expressed hopes for a
final agreement.
"I congratulate the Algerian
government for the work done to get here," Buyoya said, quoted
by APS, after meeting Lamamra.
"The situation in Mali needs to move quickly towards a peace
agreement."
In the document, the three groups agree to "engage with the
government of Mali in a constructive manner on the path of dialogue
and negotiations for a new government that responds to the profound
and legitimate aspirations of the people of north Mali".
Among their demands is the release of
prisoners and "better conditions for the return of refugees once
a definitive agreement is signed".
(...)
--
Airbus Defence and Space is marketing
an expanded range of military hardware, from tactical UAVs to fighter
jets, under its new guise.
(...)
Airbus hopes to capture 50%
of the market in which the A400M competes and sell 300-400 A400Ms
over the next three decades. Airbus has already developed an ITAR
compliant export version that features modified communications and
navigation equipment.
France was the first of eight nations
to receive the type, in August last year, and has two in service.
Apparently the French Air Force is very happy with the A400M, and has
deployed the aircraft to Mali and French Guyana. Airbus Defence and
Space will deliver 11 more A400Ms this year, including the first to
Turkey in April, the first to the UK in September and the first to
Germany in November. 22 aircraft will be delivered next year,
including the first for Malaysia.
(...)
Airbus Defence and
Space has experience operating the Harfang and Heron I UAVs, which
have been deployed to Afghanistan and Mali. More than 18 000 flight
hours have been accumulated in Afghanistan and the Harfang has
reached over 10 000 hours in 900 flights in Mali with the French Air
Force. French Harfangs will be upgraded by Airbus Defence and Space
for service to at least 2018.
(...)
***
June 14
***
Egyptian army chief inspects forces joining peace mission in Mali –
agency, Egyptian state-run news agency MENA, June 14, 2014
Cairo, 14 June: General
Commander of the Armed Forces Sidqi Subhi on Saturday [14 June]
inspected elements of the military police which will join the
peacekeeping mission in Mali in a move to assert Egypt's role in
realizing stability and security of the African continent.
General Subhi inspected an exhibition
for the equipment that will accompany the police elements and help
them accomplish their mission and wished them good luck.
General Abd-al-Majid Saqr, the director
of the military police, delivered a work in which he asserted that
the Egyptian Armed Forces are keen on the distinguished preparedness
of the elements that will be assigned with the peace mission in Mali.
***
June 13
***
(Reuters) -
U.N. peacekeepers should expand further into the volatile north of
Mali, beyond cities and towns, amid fears that militants will step up
their attacks against international and Malian troops and threats to
civilians, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said on Friday.
In a report to the U.N. Security
Council on the MINUSMA peacekeeping mission, Ban said a strategic
review recommended the operation "expand its static and mobile
presence in the north, within its means and capacities."
(...)
--
UN peacekeeping force in Mali at 74 percent: report, Agence France
Presse – English, June 13, 2014
The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali has deployed 8,280 soldiers on
the ground, 74 percent of the number mandated a year ago, and still
lacks utility helicopters, a new report says.
The UN peacekeeping force in Mali, known as MINUSMA, took over in
July 2013 from African forces fighting armed groups linked to
Al-Qaeda that occupied northern Mali in 2012.
It has struggled to get troops into
place as France seeks to draw down its force and as security
deteriorates in the north while attacks on international and Malian
security forces increase.
As of May 26 there were 8,280 UN
soldiers of the 11,200 mandated a year ago -- including 52 women --
says a report from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, obtained by AFP and
to be debated in the Security Council next Wednesday.
Police deployments have also
"strengthened significantly" with 979 officers on the
ground -- 69 percent of the authorized total of 1,440 -- including 51
women, said the report.
It calls on contributing states to
accelerate the deployment of personnel or assets, saying the force
still lacks military utility helicopters, "seriously hampering
its air mobility."
The secretary general's report, which
covers the period March 24 to May 26, said Malian security forces and
MINUSMA were coming under increasing attack as security in the north
deteriorates.
Seven UN peacekeepers were injured in
separate incidents and threats of retaliation against civilians for
cooperating with the international community have been reported, it
said.
On April 7, an improvised explosive
device in Menaka near the MINUSMA camp was detonated by remote
control "demonstrating the insurgents' improved tactics and
underscoring the vulnerability of United Nations and humanitarian
personnel."
On April 30 an IED was found 300 meters (yards) outside MINUSMA camp
in Kidal, the cradle of Mali's Tuareg separatist movement, and
rockets have landed in and near MINUSMA sites.
Bandits have also attacked trucks
transporting supplies for the force, whose proposed budget its second
year is $812.7 million.
Staff safety and security remain "major
concerns given the sustained threat to United Nations personnel and
others from asymmetric attacks, IEDs and kidnappings," the
report warned.
As a result, there are severe
constraints on being able to deploy civilian staff to remote areas,
it added.
The report lists some political achievements but says "many
important aspects of the stabilization of Mali, including most tasks
included in MINUSMA's mandate, are yet be accomplished."
The humanitarian situation is also
cause for concern, it said.
At the end of April, 3.6 million people
were food insecure, including 1.5 million severely affected -- the
number of which is expected to rise to 1.9 million by June, the
report said.
The $568 million needed for the strategic response plan for Mali to
meet humanitarian and early recovery needs has so far been only 19.3
percent funded.
Ban stressed the need for a political
process, warning otherwise "terrorist groups will seize
opportunities to target Malian and international forces, and threaten
civilians in the north."
***
June 12
***
Defensiekrant, 12, donderdag 12 juni 2014: Recht in de ogen
Verkennen: het is een vak apart. Want hoe weet je nou of je op het goede spoor zit en of iemand de waarheid vertelt? Zeker wanneer de taal een barrière vormt. “Heel simpel”, meent Daniel: “Dat onderbuikgevoel wanneer je iemand recht in de ogen aankijkt. Alle jongens zijn veel op missie geweest en hebben daar feeling voor.”
--
A suicide attack at a UN camp in
northern Mali killed four Chadian peacekeepers and wounded 10
others including six peacekeepers and four Malian soldiers, the
country's peacekeeping mission said.
A vehicle exploded at the entrance of
the camp in the town of Aguelhoc, in the Kidal region, at 3:30
pm, according to a UN statement issued on Wednesday evening.
UN mission chief Albert Koenders
condemned the attack as "cowardly and odious."
(...)
--
VIENNA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The
Austrian cabinet Wednesday approved the increased participation of
its armed forces in the EU Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali),
Austria Press Agency reported.
The maximum number of doctors and
paramedics from the Austrian Armed Forces that could be sent to the
mission will be expanded from 9 to 20.
The Austrian contingent will remain
uninvolved in actual combat training of troops.
The Ministry of Defense stated the
limit was increased to allow for more leeway in potential future
developments.
(...)
--
Four UN peacekeepers from Chad killed
and 10 others including six peacekeepers and four Malian soldiers
wounded.
***
June 11
***
Soldiers carry guns with live
ammunition and wear bulletproof helmets and bulletproof vests in Mali on
June 11, 2014. The first batch of Chinese peacekeepers in Mali
conducted first live fire exercise to improve emergency management
capabilities. (Source: people.com.cn/China.org.cn)
--
Mali to establish diplomatic mission in
Qatar "in a few months time", Radio France Internationale
on 11 June (via BBC Monitoring Africa - Political)
[Presenter] Mali has been invited once again to Qatar. This
invitation is for attending the United States-Arab World Forum which
is being held in Doha and is ending this evening. This is the second
time for the Malian president to go there. According to IBK [Ibrahim
Boubacar Keita], the ties between the two countries are very good.
Correspondent Laxmi Lota [as heard], you are in Doha for RFI.
Economic contracts are being signed.
[Lota] A delegation of Qatari businessmen was in Bamako a few days
ago. Qatar has invested in a goldmine, rice and telecommunication in
Mali. There are many areas for investment by the emirate. President
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita came to Doha in January last year to establish
initial contact.
[Keita] All that was done during my visit to the emirate has brought
in profits in all sectors like agro-business, mining and
infrastructure in all areas. Like every country, our country, Mali is
however, expecting much from Qatar.
[Lota] Although Qatar was accused of
funding armed groups in northern Mali, the Malian president said
everything has been normalized. [Indistinct comments by IBK omitted].
As a sign that the relations between the two countries have been
normalized, an embassy of Mali is going to be opened in a few months'
time.
--
BAMAKO (Reuters) - The international
community is underestimating the threat posed by Islamist fighters
sheltering in areas of Mali's far north controlled by Tuareg
separatist rebels, Prime Minister Moussa Mara said.
When Mara
travelled to the Tuareg stronghold of Kidal last month, clashes broke
out between rebel groups there and troops. [ID:nL6N0O84JH]
Mali's army
launched an operation to seize Kidal but was defeated by the rebels,
who seized more towns. The fighting threatened to wreck fragile peace
negotiations and plunge the country back into war.
Mara told
Reuters in an interview on Monday that the armed groups who seized
Kidal last month had jihadist elements within them which posed a
threat to the peace of the region.
"The
international community is not giving the importance needed to the
jihadist threat in Kidal," Mara said in his office overlooking
the Niger river in the dusty capital, Bamako.
"At the moment, there are
jihadists in Kidal. They arrived even before I got there."
(...)
***
June 10
***
France welcomes adoption of Algiers
Declaration by Malian rebels, report in English by French Foreign
Ministry website www.diplomatie.gouv.fr on 10 June, 2014
Mali -Adoption of the Algiers Declaration (June 9, 2014)
France welcomes the adoption of the
Algiers Declaration on June 9 by the armed groups that are
signatories to the Ouagadougou agreement. This is an important first
step forward in terms of the commitment of these groups to work
towards consolidating the ceasefire of May 23 and initiating
negotiations with the Malian government.
We pay tribute to the efforts made by Algeria, at Mali's request, to
organize informal discussions with the armed movements in order to
establish a common platform to express their demands. These
discussions will facilitate the inter-Malian negotiation process,
while respecting Mali's territorial integrity and the principles
agreed upon in the Ouagadougou agreement.
We encourage Algeria to continue its
efforts in coordination with the regional and international actors,
and notably with the UN.
France calls on the Malian authorities
and the armed groups to initiate, as swiftly as possible, the
negotiation process that should lead to a comprehensive and final
agreement.
--
Algeria and France are drawing closer
together on security issues. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius
wrapped up a two-day visit to Algiers on Monday (June 9th).
"We're very committed to security,
without which there can be no development, and we stand shoulder to
shoulder in the battle against terrorism. We have a shared vision,"
the French minister stated on Monday during a press conference.
Fabius and his Algerian counterpart,
Ramtane Lamamra, denied that joint operations had taken place in
Libya. "This allegation is not based on reality," Fabius
said. Algeria's Lamamra pointed out that Prime Minister Abdelmalek
Sellal "had the opportunity to deny this information
categorically".
(...)
--
Algiers (AFP) - Three armed movements from northern Mali have signed
a joint statement in Algiers declaring that they are ready to work
for peace with the Bamako government, Algeria's foreign ministry
said.
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) signed the "Algiers
Declaration" late Monday, demanding "inclusive" peace
and political talks in their troubled country.
(...)
--
A French Mirage 2000D fighter jet used to patrol the skies over Mali
crashed in neighbouring Niger due to a technical glitch, the army
said Tuesday.
The two crew members ejected and
survived uninjured.
The Mirage was flying back on Monday evening from a mission in Mali,
where the French army has been fighting jihadist groups, and crashed
half-way between Gao in Mali's restive north and the Niger capital
Niamey, where France has a military base.
"The crew was forced to eject
following a technical failure," said French military spokesman
Gilles Jaron.
"The pilot and navigator were
retrieved safe and sound."
The plane, which was worth tens of
millions of dollars, is one of six fighter jets being used by the
French army in the region. (…)
--
LONDON (Alliance News) - Alecto Minerals PLC Tuesday said it has
found new prospects on the Massakama target at the Kossanto gold
project in Mali following a large drill programme, with strong
indications that the site hosts an extensive gold-bearing system.
The gold mining company said 18 out of
24 drill holes completed on the site, for a total of 1,998 metres of
drilling, found gold mineralisation including a two metre space at
13.54 grams per tonne of gold from seven metres in depth at the
TRC009 hole and a 23 metre space at 0.67 grams per tonne of gold from
16 metres in depth.
The company said the drilling was
undertaken over four prospect areas: Goreba, Big Pit, MSK Centrale
and a recently discovered Phyolite Hill prospect. It found high-grade
quartz veins at the Goreba target, mineralised intersections at the
MSK Centrale target, and a structure which seems to delineate the
mineralisation at Rhyolite Hill. (...)
It added that through its
reconnaissance work at the sites, it has now also identified a fifth
target area, known as Toukwatou.
Alecto Minerals said that grab samples
and channel sampling are being carried out on the Toukwatou target,
and it has already received results from an initial 2 metre sample,
showing 2.62 grams per tonne of gold.
"We are extremely pleased with
these exploration results for the Massakama target at our Kossanto
project, as they offer a very real indication of significant gold
mineralisation in this area," Chief Executive Mark Jones said in
a statement. "The results indicate that we have a mix of
high-grade quartz veins and mineralised structures within multiple
shear zones."
(...)
***
June 9
***
A Puma
helicopter lands near legionnaires of the French Army’s 2nd Foreign
Parachute Regiment in the mountains in northern Mali, where
French forces have battled jihadi fighters. (...)
For the French, Eurosatory can be viewed as a valuable showcase for
the Army, but the exhibition also works for French defense
industry at large. “It’s very significant for the
French Army and industry to show themselves, particularly after the
Serval operation in Mali,” de Durand said.
The Mali mission
showed that some NATO members are more capable than others, and that
they can operate on their own with minimum support, he said.
***
June 8
***
ALGIERS, June 8 (Xinhua) -- French
Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said here on Sunday that his country
and Algeria are committed to working together to combat terrorism in
the African Sahel region, particularly in violence-ridden country of
Mali.
The minister, who is on a two-day visit
to the country, made the remarks while attending a press conference
with his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra.
Algeria and France share "the same
vision on issues of common concern, including the situation in Mali,"
the top French diplomat said.
"We are two countries who work for
peace and security, and we are both committed to the development of
the sub-Saharan region and across all the African continent," he
added.
"There's no development without
security," the minister said, reaffirming that they need to keep
on working side-by-side in the fight against terrorism.
Lamamra said Algeria has made
significant efforts to secure the North African nation's borders from
terrorist threats, adding that his country is prepared to help root
out terrorism in the region.
(…) Algeria's eastern neighbor,
Libya, has also been riddled with political chaos and violence after
the downfall of the late Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country has
been mobilizing troops to guard its borders with Mali to clampdown on
militants and weapon- smuggling.
***
June 6
***
Malian groups accuse France, Switzerland of backing Tuareg rebels,
Radio France Internationale on 6 June (via BBC Monitoring Africa -
Political)
Associations in Mali have asked for the boycotts of
French and Swiss products. They accuse France and Switzerland of
supporting MNLA [National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad]
rebel group. The accusation comes two weeks after the defeat that the
Malian army underwent in the hands of MNLA rebels in the north of the
country.
--
Bamako (AFP) - A Malian army officer
has been arrested for "an attempted coup", a senior
government official said on Friday, a day after his family reported
he had been kidnapped.
"Lieutenant Mohamed Ouattara has
been arrested -- and not abducted -- for an attempted coup, for a bid
to destabilise the institutions of the republic and for a breach of
state security," the official said, asking not to be named.
An official document seen by AFP stated
that Ouattara, along with other military officers and "accomplices",
aimed to overthrow the regime of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita,
who was elected last year, marking a return to civilian rule
following a March 2012 coup.
The government official said several
other arrests had been made and that more would follow, but gave no
further details of the alleged coup plot in the west African country.
On Thursday, Ouattara's family,
including his father retired Colonel Yaya Ouattara, said the
lieutenant had been kidnapped in the capital Bamako "by armed
individuals wearing military uniform".
Lieutenant Ouattara is a member of the
"Red Berets" paratroop corps, who remained loyal to their
former commander, president Amadou Toumani Toure, after his ouster in
the 2012 coup led by Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo.
The Red Berets were foiled in a bid to
carry out a counter-coup a month later and were hunted down by
Sanogo's forces, which plunged the formerly stable democracy into
chaos.
Since early December last year, almost
30 bodies believed to be those of Red Beret troops captured by
Sanogo's regime have been found in ditches near Kati, a garrison town
15 kilometres (nine miles) from Bamako where the coup leader had set
up base.
Sanogo's power-grab paved the way for
ethnic Tuareg rebels and armed extremists linked to Al-Qaeda to seize
key towns in the desert north of the country, where the Islamists
gained the upper hand until France led international military
intervention in January 2013.
The campaign is still under way against
armed groups who melted into the desert.
After Keita took office last September,
Sanogo and a score of aides were charged and jailed for "complicity
in kidnapping, kidnappings and assassinations" in an official
probe into the disappearance of Red Beret soldiers.
--
(…) Participants at the Ghana
conference renewed their solidarity with the Malian government and
discussed efforts to counter terrorist threats in the area.
Mali's neighbours are
eager to help because they are all facing the same enemy, said
Mauritanian analyst Mohamed Ould Ibrahim.
Algerian journalist Taoufik Bouqaedah noted that his country was
always prepared to assist endangered populations in other
countries.(...)
***
June 5
***
Mali is to introduce compulsory
national service for men and women aged 18 to 35, the government
announced, after clashes between northern Tuareg separatists and the
army last month. (...)
--
United Nations Security Council mandate(s) expiring, unless extended:
(…) the U.N. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in
Mali (MINUSMA); also for French forces in the latter two countries
Event Start Date: 2014-06-30
Event End Date: 2014-06-30
--
China has made a significant
contribution to international peace and security in the 25 years it
has been taking part in United Nations peacekeeping operations.
People's Liberation Army personnel have built and repaired more than
8,000km of roads, defused 8,700 landmines and other explosive devices
and treated in excess of 60,000 patients. The missions are an
important facet of the nation's soft power; praise has been won and
goodwill generated. Strengthening and deepening participation is in
the interests of Beijing and the world.
None of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council
contributes more personnel to peacekeeping operations than China. At
the end of April, 2,180 Chinese troops were involved in nine mission
zones, mostly in Africa. China's contribution to the UN peacekeeping
budget will increase from just over 3 per cent of the total to 6 per
cent by next year. But perhaps the most dramatic shift came last
December when combat forces were sent to Mali; a foreign policy
centred on principles of sovereignty and non-intervention was for the
first time set aside to help bring stability to a country threatened
by political upheaval and militants.
Expanding international influence and
presence demands adaptability and change. While Chinese national
interests have to be protected, China also has to be a reliable and
responsible member of the global community. Contributing to security
missions and using diplomacy to broker peace will bring stability.
There will be positive benefits for all participants.
The accolades Chinese peacekeepers have
earned seem at odds with the criticism of Beijing by its neighbours
involved in territorial disputes. Even-handed diplomacy and
negotiations are the key to settling conflicts. Officials and
soldiers will gain valuable experience from involvement in UN
peacekeeping operations. Widening participation will reassure others
that China is a responsible power, while furthering international
understanding and respect.
***
June 4
***
Mali sent a peace envoy to neighbouring Mauritania on Wednesday for
talks with the leaders of rebel groups waging an insurgency against
the war-torn west African state's government in Bamako.
The gesture comes after the regional ECOWAS bloc of countries urged
the United Nations at the weekend to strengthen its peacekeeping
force and consider imposing "targeted sanctions against the
armed groups or individuals who impede the peace process" in
Mali.
"I made contact with these
organisations to first get know who they are, then to pass on the
message of the president favouring dialogue and receive their
suggestions," Modibo Keita told AFP in the Mauritanian capital
Nouakchott.
Keita, who was appointed by President
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in April to negotiate with the rebels, met
members of the Arab Movement of Azawad (MAA) and the mainly-black
Coordination of Patriotic Movements and Forces for Resistance.
--
Sarah Covington, Tuareg rebel groups likely to consolidate control of
Mali's northern provinces ahead of government negotiations, IHS
Global Insight (Jane's), June 4, 2014
Tuareg armed groups have occupied the
Malian town of Goundam in Timbuktu province, about 50km south of
Timbuktu city, Malian media reported on 3 June. The same day, Tuareg
representatives from the Mouvement National pour la Liberation de
l'Azawad (MNLA) and the High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA)
arrived in Algiers to open peace negotiations with the government.
The latest round of negotiations, arbitrated by Algeria and
Mauritania, follows the MNLA and HCUA's re-occupation of several
northern towns since fighting broke out in Kidal during Prime
Minister Moussa Mara's visit there on 17 May. The MNLA is currently
in nominal control of Kidal, as well as the key trading town
Aguelhoc, in Kidal province; Ansango and Menaka, in Gao province; and
Ber and Goundam, in Timbuktu province. The MNLA seized military
equipment the Malian army left behind after it retreated from these
areas. Minister of Defence Soumeley Boubeye Maiga and Army Chief
General Mahamane Toure resigned as a result. In the first week of
June, France and the United Nations reiterated their support for the
Malian government in stabilising the country's northern provinces.
France agreed to supply three refitted Gazelle helicopters and UN
peacekeepers launched patrols in Timbuktu to protect civilian
populations.
Significance:The MNLA is unlikely to
secure control of Gao (where 1,000 French troops are based) or
Timbuktu (where they only have minimal popular support). The
withdrawal of the majority of the Malian armed forces reduces the
risk of fighting and therefore the risk of collateral death and
injury. The Algiers negotiations, facilitated by a ceasefire reached
in Ouagadougou on 27 May, are unlikely to result in a unanimous
agreement over the status of northern provinces, particularly Kidal.
Armed Tuaregs are likely to further consolidate their control over
northern provinces by occupying towns such as Tessalit, Anefis,
Bourem, Gourma-Rharous and Dire, in order to pressure the government
to meet their demands for greater autonomy. Construction projects in
these areas, as well as transit convoys to and from these towns, face
severe risk of delay.
***
June 3
***
The president of the Senate, David Mark, on Monday said the
activities of Boko Haram insurgents had compelled government to
withdraw its peacekeeping troops from Mali.
He made the remark at a two-day retreat
on Nigeria's foreign policy jointly organised by the Senate Committee
on Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Institute of International
Affairs in Lagos.
The Senate president said Boko Haram
insurgency had become a major challenge to Nigeria's efforts at
forging relationships with her French-speaking neighbours.
"The activities of Boko Haram
insurgents are beginning to affect Nigeria's foreign policy,"
said Mark, represented by his chief of staff, Sen. Anthony Manzo.
He held that any government's foreign
policy was an extension of its domestic policy.
--
Acquisition-hungry miner B2Gold Corp.
has struck another deal, agreeing to buy Australian firm Papillon
Resources Ltd. for US$570-million in stock.
The deal, which was rumoured last week, gives B2Gold the Fekola
project in Mali, which is expected to produce an average of 306,000
ounces of gold a year over an initial nine-year mine life.
"We believe this merger will bring
great value to all shareholders and we congratulate Papillon's strong
technical team on advancing the impressive Fekola project to a robust
prefeasibility study and look forward to working together to advance
the project to production," B2 chief executive Clive Johnson
said in a statement.
***
June 1
***
(…) This year’s OCO [Overseas
Contingency Operations] request will also include up to $5 billion in
a “counterterrorism Partnerships Fund” that would go toward US
training and partner-building of foreign troops, Obama announced last
week.
“[T]hese resources will give us flexibility to
fulfill different missions, including training security forces in
Yemen who have gone on the offensive against al-Qaida; supporting a
multinational force to keep the peace in Somalia; working with
European allies to train a functioning security force and border
patrol in Libya; and facilitating French operations in Mali,” Obama
said in his May 28 speech. (...)
--
Residents of northern Malian town call
for pullout of army troops, Radio France Internationale on 1 June
2014 (via BBC Monitoring Africa - Political)
There was a protest march in the northern part of Mali, more
precisely in the town of Menaka, which is near the border with Niger,
this morning [1 June].
Women and youths staged a demonstration in front of the MINUSMA [UN
Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali] camp, the
international peacekeeping force. The aim was to demand the departure
of Malian soldiers from the town.
According to some residents of Menaka,
who were contacted by RFI, some elements of the MNLA, the Tuareg
separatist movement, were very visible among the demonstrators.
--
Mauritanian authorities release former
AQLIM member after serving prison term, Sahara FM radio June 1, 2014
( via BBC Monitoring Middle East - Political June 5, 2014)
Mauritanian authorities today released
Salafist prisoner, Tijani Ould Sidina, who has been serving a
three-year jail term after being convicted of charges of belonging to
Al-Qa'idah in the Islamic Maghreb [AQLIM].
Tijani, is the brother of the another Salafist prisoner, Sisi Ould
Sidina, who was also convicted for involvement in the murder of
French tourists near the city of Aleg, in central Mauritania, in
2007. Tijani was arrested three years ago and was charged for
attempting to join Al-Qa'idah camps in Northern Mali.
Dozens of Salafist prisoners are
serving varying sentences, including death penalty and life
imprisonment, on various charges including that of killing
foreigners, carrying out terrorist operations, and establishing a
dangerous group.
