Mali news

I have highlighted parts that I found telling.

Gregory Mann's very informative article:
Whew, Mali. French air raids  against Islamist positions in Mali began Thursday night, and the dust hasn’t settled yet. The news is changing fast, but, three things emerge from the haze. First, fierce fighting in the North and the East, with French forces in the lead, will open up a whole new set of dangers. With Islamist forces on the attack, foreign intervention was necessary, and many Malians at home and abroad welcomed it enthusiastically. Still, this remains a dangerous moment all around. Second, while the latest crisis might not break the political deadlock in Bamako, it has already changed the dynamic. And third, despite the sorry state of mediation efforts to date—both within West Africa and beyond—savvy diplomacy is needed now more than ever.
First, the fighting. The French have come in hard and fast, with fighter jets flying sorties from southern France over Algerian airspace, helicopters coming in from bases in Burkina Faso, and special forces and Legionnaires from Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Burkina, and France. There are indeed French boots on the ground, fighting alongside what remains of the Malian army and troops from neighboring countries. So far it is the air assault that has garnered headlines, chasing the allied Islamist fighters from the positions they had taken last week, as well as from most of their Sahelian strongholds (as I write, no reports of fighting in or around Timbuktu). Konna, Douentza, Gao, Léré, Kidal…  ça chauffe.
Three things on that...........



Ian Birrell writing at TheIndependentUK:
 ...The French sent their forces into action to protect Mopti, Mali’s second city and the most important northern point still in state hands.  For days, there had been conflicting reports of fresh fighting between Islamists driving south and the Malian army. Konna, the town at the centre of events, lies just one hour north.
If Mopti fell, it would plunge 120,000 more people into the arms of the Islamists, with their segregation of sexes, banning of music and brutal interpretations of sharia – all so alien to most Malians.  It could also have led to the collapse of the nation, still coming to terms with the traumatic and unexpected events of last year after a coup ended two decades of progress. The world has been slow to grasp the significance of Mali. ...
....Second, because it is a country with close links to Europe – especially France, which has a large Malian community; this gives rise to obvious and justified concerns about increased risks of terrorism in the West. And third, because this has already become a proxy war. Islamists and militias from neigbouring countries such as Benin and Nigeria have poured in, alongside fanatics from as far afield as Pakistan. There are strong suspicions countries such as Algeria, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are surreptitiously involved; Malians say that in occupied towns generous regular stipends are given to men siding with the Islamists.....

From AP:
Deep inside caves, in remote desert bases, in the escarpments and cliff faces of northern Mali, Islamic extremist fighters have been burrowing into the earth, erecting a formidable set of defenses to protect what has essentially become al-Qaida’s new country.
They have used the bulldozers, earth movers and Caterpillar machines left behind by fleeing construction crews to dig what residents and local officials describe as an elaborate network of tunnels, trenches, shafts and ramparts. In just one case, inside a cave large enough to drive trucks into, they have stored up to 100 drums of gasoline, guaranteeing their fuel supply in the face of a foreign intervention, according to experts.......

From TheTelegraphUK
.....David Cameron said that   the growing strength of Islamist groups in Mali could have direct consequences for British national security.
"There is a very dangerous Islamist regime allied to al-Qaeda in control of the north of that country; it was threatening the south of that country and we should support the action the French have taken," he said. "So we were first out of the blocks, as it were, to say to the French 'we'll help you; we'll work with you; and we'll share all intelligence we have with you and try to help you with what you're doing'."



The Government insisted that British support for the French intervention would be limited to "logistical" backing, including the transport planes. Ministers ruled out sending troops to take part in combat operations alongside the French.
Philip Hammond, the defence secretary, and senior commanders are nonetheless due to warn Mr Cameron that any action in Mali could become drawn out and require greater resources.
However, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that British planners are considering contributing troops to the EU training mission.....

From Globe&MailCanada:
Declaring France had “opened the gates of hell” with its assault, the rebels threatened retribution.   “France ... has fallen into a trap much more dangerous than Iraq, Afghanistan or Somalia,” said Omar Ould Hamaha, a leader of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, one of the rebel groups controlling the north, speaking on radio Europe 1. ....

From FoxNews:
The Pentagon is preparing to provide military support  to French forces in their new fight against rebel militants in northern Mali, according to senior defense officials.
The U.S. is considering a range of options to help, including sending cargo aircrafts to lift more French ground troops into Mali, providing air refueling tankers for French air combat patrols, and offering intelligence gleaned from aerial surveillance.

From BBC:
French warplanes have been in action over the west African   state of Mali in an attempt to halt Islamist rebels who took control of northern Mali last year from advancing further.
But Islamist fighters have seized the town of Diabaly, 400km (250 miles) from the capital, Bamako, in a counter-attack.

From DW.DE:
Algeria is closing its border with Mali,  its foreign ministry has said. The move comes as the United Nations prepares to hold closed-door talks about the ongoing crisis in the country.
Algerian Foreign Ministry spokesman Amar Belani confirmed Monday that Algeria is closing its border because of "the events in Mali."....