Mali is proving itself to be truly African to outsiders, I do not currently include the French military as outsiders. Africa has the habit of appearing to have simple problems to which external solutions can be readily applied - the Africa "hands" here will now nod sagely and chuckle.

Last week RFI, a French news agency, reported a demonstration of un-armed Malian Army para-commandos, known as the 'Red Berets" in Bamako, asking why they were not being deployed on operations. The unit had opposed the coup in 2012 and although kept in being clearly had an uncertain future.

On Friday Reuters reported:
Smoke rose from the base, where mutinous members of the 'red beret' paratroop unit.... started firing with their weapons to protest attempts to redeploy them. After several hours of firing, calm returned at the camp. The paratroopers had been ordered to join other units at the front in the ongoing French-led campaign against al Qaeda-allied insurgents. But they insisted on staying together as a regiment and resisted the military police, Malian officers said.
Link:http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...91708I20130208

Now to the insurgents, who are reportedly dispersed and "on the run". A BBC News item on:
The Tegharghar mountains give the word "remote" new meaning....a region that is sometimes known as the Adagh des Ifoghas, or The mountains of the Ifoghas tribe, is 1,400 km (900 miles) from the Malian capital, Bamako. It has been at the epicentre of every single Tuareg rebellion against the central government since 1962.

al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and their allies know the area all too well. They first set up base here in 2003, using the Tegharghar mountains and the endless desert plains to the north-west as an ideal bolthole in which to hide Western hostages and train new recruits. Apart from one skirmish in 2009, the Malian army left them to it. Mali has paid the price for that laissez-faire policy.
Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21326831

So what did the US 'Trans-Sahara' military assistance package achieve if AQIM were left alone from 2003-2012?