Six steps to fix a broken Mali
A simple menu and contains updates on those sitting at the table in Mali:http://bridgesfrombamako.com/2013/03...a-broken-mali/
Nice last sentence:
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Peace in Mali rests as much on events in Bamako and Kati as in the Adrar des Ifoghas, in Gao, or in Kidal.
I am bemused to read elsewhere (NYT) on the suggestion that the UN assume a peacekeeping role in Mali. First the Malian military have made little contribution to the fighting in the north; the ECOWAS military and police appear to remain in Bamako - ostensibly to provide security, so the Malian military can deploy.
Will anyone want to take on a role that is far from 'peacekeeping'? I am struggling to recall a previous UN role in COIN.
Forget about steps one through three
David,
The first three are an utter waste of time :rolleyes:
Free elections, national dialog and management of foreign aid ?
I'll pass on the first two, but managing foreign aid should not be any African Dictator's right.
Number 4. They tell us that this is the reason we are there but they don't participate and our training teams are heading North without them to respond.
Number 5. Ever hold talks with your enemy who would rather see you dead ?
Number 6. The so-called donors have always insisted on reconciliation as part of the deal. Jeez, when will they learn :wry:
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I’m also aware that these six steps, while necessary for Mali’s future stability, may not be sufficient to produce it.
This part I agree with !
With the French in the north
A good film clip by a BBC reporter, who appears to be embedded with the Foreign Legion in the Tegharghar mountains of northern Mali; it can be viewed in the USA (thanks JMM):http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21921541
The accompanying, longer written report:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21919769
first hand testimonies on Mali war
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French soldiers in Mali: "These jihadists are there to die"
Tell them fighting and their eyes trun vague. For twelve days of fierce battle, the 2nd REP legionnaires (Foreign Parachute Regiment) mounted at the front in the rough mountains of the Adrar des Iforas in northern Mali to flush out Islamist AQIM ( Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb). "We found ourselves facing an army trained and very clever," says Captain Clement.
In the lunar landscape of the valley Ametteta under a blazing sun, the soldiers conducted harsh combat. Sometimes within 3 m of their enemies, almost hand-to-hand combat. "We had not seen that from Algeria, said Gen. Bernard Barrera, the tactical commander of the operation Serval. In front of us the enemies agreed contact and rode into battle. "" In Afghanistan, it was very different compared Captain Clement. The Taliban often drop their weapons to blend in with the population and reappear under the disguise of a shepherd. Here, we fought against real warriors, able to develop a strategy and ambushes. They do not defiled, quite the contrary. " "They had food on them and also how to commit suicide"
http://www.leparisien.fr/internation...13-2678081.php
Becareful: google translate can be... weird at the best:D
Also there is a video but for French speakers only
Gap is "liberated": maybe not?
An interesting, if slightly off centre report by a journalist with Malian and French forces in Gao and suggests the "liberators" are not gretted by all the locals. Some grim photos too; there is a linked video but it failed to show here. He ends with:
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A dozen jihadists, some of them children, had held off hundreds of Malian soldiers for a full day of fighting, until the French were forced to intervene. The city center was a smoldering ruin. For all the politicians’ talk in Paris of a swift end to their campaign in Mali, it seemed unlikely to me that the French would be going home any time soon.
Link:http://www.vice.com/en_au/read/al-qa...Contentpage=-1
Notable are the references to IEDs and stockpiles of weapons in the city.
One hippo, eight blind analysts
A one-stop backgrounder by a team of academics, for Mali before the French intervention; with an odd title until you learn:
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The Malian national mascot is the hippopotamus...
Link:http://bamakobruce.files.wordpress.c...ditors-cut.pdf
Mali rebels: weapons survey
An odd inventory, with fifty year old rockets and newer items:http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/filea...thern-Mali.pdf
Libyan weapons fuelled the rebels: t'is a myth
A short French article, well worth reading and ends with:
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On balance, the idea that the rebels clashed with Malian units with sophisticated weapons is indeed a myth. The differences lie elsewhere: in the maintenance of equipment in the amount of ammunition available, and most importantly, the ability to know how to use. Training is crucial, as the tactics implemented - considered essential in an environment like the desert where the movement bonus. Finally add the initiative and dynamism of leaders and also the morale of the fighters. No, arming the rebels was no more sophisticated than the Malian army: it has simply been used more wisely.
Link:http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/...t-du-mnla.html
Thinking aloud now. The crisis in Mali with the rebellion(s) in the north would have looked very different beyond Mali if all the speculation and gossip on the legacy of Gadafy's fall had not been treated as reliable reporting. Trust and verify!
Resources on the 2012-2013 Conflict
Algeria supports UN Mission
Algeria has always had a different stance on Mali, so this statement comes as a slight surprise:
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The international community must give its full support to the United Nations to stabilize Mali, a senior Algerian official said on Monday, at the start of a regional security conference in the city of Oran.
Link:http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/8...i-says-algeria
MINUSMA taking over from French and African forces.
If I understand the Al Jazeera and BBC pieces correctly, the United Nations is in charge of peacekeeping in Mali as of today. But I am assuming that the four figures of French troops remaining there are not under UN command. Anyone able to clarify the arrangement?