Why Mali matters

Globe and Mail ^ | 01/14/2013 | GEOFFREY YORK AND PAUL WALDIE

[SeekAndFind]

Where is Mali?

It’s in West Africa, at the crossroads between the harsh Sahara desert and the more fertile lands to the south. The northern half of the country is bleak and arid terrain, dotted with several oasis towns, including the fabled town of Timbuktu.

What is its geopolitical significance?

Until recently, Mali seemed to have little geopolitical value. But its north has emerged as a haven for Islamist radicals who originally crossed the border from Algeria and then became a kidnapping threat in West Africa. One radical group, affiliated with al-Qaeda, became financially powerful from kidnappings and trafficking operations. The north was soon a stronghold for Islamist terrorists, triggering the concerns of the United States and several European countries. Two of the kidnapping victims were Canadian diplomats Robert Fowler and Louis Guay, abducted in Niger in December of 2008 and held hostage in northern Mali for 130 days by a group known as al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

A year ago Mali seemed to be a peaceful model of democracy. How did it become a centre of radical Islamist control?

Much of the problem can be traced to the Libya war in 2011. After the defeat of Moammar Gadhafi, thousands of his African recruits went back to their home countries, including Mali. They brought a massive arsenal of heavy weapons, which provided new strength to the rebel movement in northern Mali, led by Tuareg separatists and Islamist radicals. In early 2012, the rebels launched a major offensive, and by April of 2012 they had captured northern Mali, routing the Malian army. After that, the Islamist fighters were able to push aside the Tuareg separatists, and the Islamists ended up in control of the major northern towns and cities.

[SeekAndFind]

Just like Vietnam of old, Mali is a former French colony and there are 3,000 French citizens living there, plus thousands more living in neighbouring countries.

[SeekAndFind]

Edit to add: The United States is planning to provide logistical help to France, likely including satellite imagery and intelligence sharing, plus military transport and perhaps drone surveillance.

THIS IS FOR NOW.

[stboz]

I smell uranium.

[SeekAndFind]

MALI AT A GLANCE:

Population: 15.8 million, about 1.62 million of whom live in the capital of Bamako.

Religion: 90-per-cent Muslim.

Exports: No. 1 is cotton, followed by livestock and gold.

Life expectancy: 53 years.

Literacy: Only 20 per cent of women can read and write.

Birth rate: Malian women on average have about six children each.

[SeeSharp]

After that, the Islamist fighters were able to push aside the Tuareg separatists

Someone didn't read their Machiavelli. Never put your trust in expatriates or mercenaries.

[bergmeid]

Bingo.

[sean327]

Let the Europeans clean up their mess. Africa was the playground of the Brits, French, Dutch, Spanish, and Portugese. They @#$%$ it up, they need to clean it up.
Mali matters more to them than it does to us. These African countries also need to step up and clean their own house also. We cannot continue to send our best and brightest into every shiitehole to clean up the messes of others.

[Candor7]

How did it become a centre of radical Islamist control?

Blam Barak Hussein Obama. Gadhaffi kept the passes from Libya intoo central Africa closed, and free of Islamofascists. Ghadhaffi was assassinated by Islamisit radiocals, with Obama and NATO in aid, and now the Mujahadeen bring their version of jihad into the precints of peaceful Central Africa. Millions will die at the hands of these Islamofascists bearing weapons from the Gadhaffi arsenals. We now witness the real reason that Obama attacked Libya. Obama is true to his cousin Rial Odingas vision for Africa and the Orange Party Obama supported in 2007....a rebirth of the old caliphate of Egypt.

[dirtboy]

Smell oil, too.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/40912683/Overview-of-the-Petroleum-Exploration-Potential-of-Mali

A large, almost completely unexplored sedimentary basin is in Northern Mali.

I was on a flight from Houston to Philly and had a young woman from Mali sitting in the seat next to me who was studying petroleum engineering to be part of the development of the oil industry there. Charming gal. There are other basins in the south but the Taoudeni Basin is probably the most promising.

[SisterK]

Exactly, Barak Hussein owns it...In a few short years, he has done THE MOST to advance radical islam.

[dirtboy]

http://www.economist.com/node/16117126

Desert menace
After years of chasing shadows, the Americans have a real enemy to fight

May 13th 2010 | DAKAR | from the print edition

OPERATION Flintlock has begun. American special forces have been descending on Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal in a joint exercise, expected to last another week or so, to combat Islamist terrorism in the region. It is the latest stage of an evolving partnership between America and much of west Africa. Over several years, Americans have been training their counterparts in these countries in everything from marksmanship and parachuting to the more touchy-feely stuff of winning over hearts and minds.

When the Americans first started talking about al-Qaeda’s threat in the Sahara, many were sceptical. But a sharp increase in the rate of attacks in the past 18 months by what the jihadists call “al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb”, usually abbreviated to AQIM, have convinced even cynics that a threat of sorts does exist.

[sergeantdave]

Let’s not get the Islamic scorecard confused. Gadaffi lived Islam terrorists. He worked closely with Abu Nidal, one of the world’s most infamous mercenaries and terrorists.

Gadaffi’s mercenary army, partly made up of 25,000 Tuaregs from Mali, received training from Gadaffi’s Islamic Legion. The Legion was part of Gaddafi’s dream of creating the Great Islamic State of the Sahel.

[sergeantdave]

Gadaffi LOVED Islam terrorists.

[Candor7]

No confusion here. The fact is that Gadhaffi was anti mujahadeen. Thats why Obama wanted rid of him. I do not believe all the tripe propaganda about Gadhaffi.Yes, he had aided Abu Nidal, but at the time he was betrayed by NATO and by Obama, he was a US Ally against the jihadists and the Muslim Brotherhood. Now there are arms being spread from the defeated Gadhaffis arsenals, 10 to 20 tousand shoulder mounted stinger type missiles in the hands of the mujahadeen?

Obama distributed Gadhaffi ordnance to the Muslim Brotherhood through Stevens in Benghazi for use in Syria and in the GAZA strip.

You are talking about OLD history and seek to justify the destabilization of the Africa entore by Obama , because Gadhaffi used to be a bad boy? Obama and the Muslim Brotherhood mean to have Islamofascist control Africa, just as Obama had initiated with his cousin, Rial Odinga in Kenya in 2007 ( they lost, but called out the mujahadeen rioters to foment intertribal genocide in Kenya). Soon the
Muslim Brotherhood will control Egypt,Somalia, Sudan, Libya,
Algeria, Mali , Tunisia....All because Obama got rid of Gaddhaffi and seeded the ordance from Libyas arsenals into the hands of Islamofascists.

Anyone who thinks otherwise just has a bad case of stiking-head-in-sanditis, which seems to be a very deeply engrained RINO characteristic since 2007. Yep that worked well for the GOP then just as it does right now under Boehner and the Karl Rove Country Club gang, who have precided over the destruction of the Republican party continuously since 2007.

The version you espouse of what is happening in Africa today does not pass any kind of reality check, just as the GOP is completely isolated from reality.

Obama is a fascist. His policies on the ground are planned usurpation, executed with precision and malice against America itself. His policy on Libya and Egypt is designed to result in the invasion of Israel.

Read this:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/05/barack_obama_the_quintessentia_1.html