Mali mainly, 2012 coup, drugs & more

[davidbfpo]

Reports from Mali are rare, so thanks to alerts from Andrew Lebovich to two reports today.

The first report is by two lady Al-Jazeera journalists who accompanied a Nigerien patrol on a supply run:http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/fea...105547305.html

The second, more in-depth, is from IIRC a long-term US resident in Bamako, the capital, via his website:https://bridgesfrombamako.com/2016/0...-to-the-abyss/

[davidbfpo]

This War is Boring article is focused on the German Army's problems with their vehicles in the heat and dust of Mali, lus their drones and armed helicopters:http://warisboring.com/malis-desert-...ored-vehicles/

Then it intriguingly refers to the Malian National Guard:

The Garde’s speed and flexibility, its keeping with the principles of Sahelian warfare, combined with greater trust in Mali’s north—where the army is widely loathed—means they are today among the most effective troops in Mali’s armed forces, along with the special forces.

According to the IISS Military Balance it has 2k, the Army 18k and there is a separate Gendarmerie.

[davidbfpo]

A short report via ECFR's website by Andrew Lebovich, a previously cited SME and his slim bio is on:http://www.ecfr.eu/profile/C387

He is not optimistic and ends with:

Now, having arrived at a seemingly workable framework for peace, the general response of the international community is to focus on implementation, presuming that if only the Malian government and international partners make good on the Accords’ provisions, then stability can be restored. However, this approach risks further inflaming tensions in some cases and further solidifying local rivalries and fiefdoms in others.

Link:http://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentar...ok_beyond_7293

[AdamG]

SEAL Shenanigans
https://www.thedailybeast.com/green-...-he-was-killed

[davidbfpo]

An intriguing comparison and hat tip to WoTR for the article. Here is one poignant phrase:

Both the United States and France now seem stuck in intractable wars, frustrated by the apparent fruitlessness of their best efforts. The Afghan and Malian governments, moreover, bear a large portion of the responsibility for the wars’ failures.

Link:https://warontherocks.com/2017/12/ma...-a-difference/

[davidbfpo]

An overview article on the various international, regional and local forces deployed in the region, the Sahel, but Mali features strongly so added here.

I had missed this:

Separately, Germany is shortly to open a military base in Niger to support MINUSMA, while Italy has announced it will sent 470 troops to the country to counter people-smuggling and combat extremism.

Link:http://www.irinnews.org/analysis/201...erations-sahel

However the author's credibility is marred by labeling the first photo as French soldiers when they are clearly from Mali.

[davidbfpo]

A brief overview of the key non-state armed actors in the region, which includes non-jihadist groups in alliance sometimes with the Mali government for example; jihadist groups and others.

Nothing is simple:

As well as hardcore jihadism, the ingredients of this region’s conflict dynamics also include long-standing and often violent rivalries, trafficking, and self-defence activities. Jihadist groups such as ISGS include in their ranks numerous members of Niger’s Fulani community, which has long been in conflict with Tuaregs in Mali. “Jihadist violence often intertwines with local intercommunal tensions related to competition over natural resources and trafficking, making it difficult to distinguish the real nature and motives of many incidents,” the ICG report after the October Niger attack.

Link:http://www.irinnews.org/analysis/201...i-Niger-threat