Passed along that link to my friend who is currently in Burkina Faso and she replied back a couple of hours or so ago that she had seen “loads of paratroopers today falling out of the sky with various AU-flag colored parachutes.” Not sure if she was in Ouaga or Bobo at the time. Or whether she was still on the Valium/cortisone drip.Originally Posted by davidbfpo
If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed. – Mark Twain (attributed)
Drop or Drip?
I have not heard of an African parachute operation ever, partly as the African nations have so few suitable transport aircraft. Note I exclude South Africa and Arab nations, which in the past have had a capability. Let alone a drop with AU-flag colored parachutes!Passed along that link to my friend who is currently in Burkina Faso and she replied back a couple of hours or so ago that she had seen “loads of paratroopers today falling out of the sky with various AU-flag colored parachutes.” Not sure if she was in Ouaga or Bobo at the time. Or whether she was still on the Valium/cortisone drip.
davidbfpo
I saw a couple of guys being dropped over the base across the road where I was staying in Bobo in the summer of 2010. Given the size of the Burkinabé army—c. 6,000—their capability is certainly limited. Maybe a multi-national unit is being formed specifically for MICEMA? The jump Abbie spotted might also have been part of a training. [LINK]
If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed. – Mark Twain (attributed)
China offers support to Mali military in fight against Islamists
A decided lack of specifics, but interesting nonetheless. One wonders what is so valuable in Mali to trigger said assistance?China offered to support Mali’s military in its fight against Islamist rebels who have seized northern parts of the country, said Guo Xueli, charge d’affaires at the Chinese Embassy.
“China firmly supports the position of Mali,” Guo said in an interview on state television yesterday in the capital, Bamako. “We are going to bring our assistance to the extent possible, specifically in the military where we already have a very old cooperation.”
Mali’s government has been battling Islamist rebels in the north of the country since they took control of the area from separatist ethnic Touareg fighters in May. The rebels took advantage of a political crisis in the south triggered by the ouster of President Amadou Toure in a March 22 coup.
The former missionary to the French and governor to the Massachusettians made mention of the situation in Mali during last night’s presidential debate (good thing he made it early or I would have missed it as the proceedings eventually put me to sleep).
From the BBC News:
Having gotten an aerial view of northern Mali I am indeed curious as to what those 3,000 troops are going to be doing. Securing urban areas and select villages while drones and units which do not officially exist do nightwork?Two weeks ago, the UN Security Council gave the regional bloc Ecowas 45 days to draw up a plan with the details of its offer to send 3,000 troops to the vast desert region.
Last edited by ganulv; 10-23-2012 at 07:01 PM. Reason: added the map
If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed. – Mark Twain (attributed)
Sigh.vast desert region
As if it wasn't obvious that in a country with such a geography most of the action would be focused along the Niger river.
Running the insurgents out of that area is one thing. Running them down in the desert afterwards is another. The Tuaregs have been known to make do there.
If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed. – Mark Twain (attributed)
So am I off base in thinking maybe the force will headquarter in Mopti and send one battalion up RN15 and another towards Timbuktu? And that it won’t happen until harmattan season is over at the earliest?
If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed. – Mark Twain (attributed)
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