Op deze pagina korte stukjes uit de pers over ontwikkelingenin Mali in 2014. De meest algemene en breed gerapporteerde kwesties worden niet opgenomen. Waar mogelijk is een url toegevoegd.
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In many African countries, the population has absolutely no say in the way the nation is run. The rulers serve their masters in American or European capitals.
Classic examples are the French speaking West African countries where the ruling elite represent the French elite and any attempt at changing the status quo is met with French military intervention.
In Mali, the Touaregs have found it had to change the government in Bamako. The French first intervened under the guise of fighting Al-Qaeda and then organized a smokescreen election to stabilize the country.
A stable Mali under the current system only benefits the ruling elites and the French. Currently, France is fighting rebels in Central African Republic (CAR) with the intention of reestablishing the old order where the citizens will have absolutely no role in the direction of their country. The story of Ivory Coast mirrors that of Mali and CAR.
Salah Abdi Sheikh, Somalia; With Its New Ruling Elite Somalia Has Lost Destiny, The Star (Nairobi), January 3, 2014
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"Facilitators"
Among the jihadists, "there are permanent members and occasional members, the recruitment fluctuates," observes General Guionie, number two with the Serval force. A fact that renders security even more complicated. "Our adversaries cannot be placed into particular categories. We cannot act according to this Cartesian vision," confirms Lieutenant Colonel Calvez.
Yet little by little the work of the French in the field is paying off and the inhabitants of Gao no longer hesitate in providing information on jihadist groups. Four "facilitators" - men who act as go-betweens between the militias and civilians - were arrested recently close to Timbuktu, the most recent by Malian forces.
A sure sign that the Islamist groups are still active in the region is the discovery by Serval troops near Tessalit on 29 December of a cache of five tons of ammonium nitrate, the principal component in making home-made bombs. At the beginning of the month they also discovered a fully fledged training camp in the desert with a buried service station, stocks of spare parts, pick-up trucks concealed under straw, caches of medicines, and shooting ranges. All of which was invisible from the air but a site used as recently as three days before the French hit upon it.
Laure Bretton, In Mali, French Troops Still Face Jihadist Threat, Liberation website, in French 1 January 2014
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Spanish Colonel Felix Eugenio Garcia Cortigo is the second head of this EU operation, with an order of battle comprising 534 officers, soldiers, and other ranks. EUTM has already trained three battalions of Mali's army. Each is made up of 700 troops. They are already fighting in the north of the country ... beyond Timbuktu. The original, 15-month, mandate of the operation ends in May. It is likely that the EU will extend it for a further 24 months. Colonel Garcia Cortijo stresses that "the operation's record, to date, is undeniably successful." The EU is already drawing a new operational plan for the period 2014-2016.
[Villarejo Villarejo] What news do you have, about Mali's battalions that have been trained?
[Garcia Cortijo] The first group (called "Waraba," meaning "lion") is operating in the north east of the country. The second ("Elou," meaning "elephant") in Kidal and Menaka, having taken part in operation "Hydra" side by side with French and UN troops. The third ("Sigui," meaning buffalo) is awaiting to be assigned a deployment zone. All reports reaching us, dealing with their behaviour, are positive.
[Villarejo Villarejo] What does the training that you provide them involve?
[Garcia Cortijo] They are tactical groups, bringing together a number of specialties: infantry, artillery, engineers, communications, logistics, commandos ... For 10 weeks, we train them gradually, from the individual combatant level to the tactical group level. Something very important for us is to insist also on morale, during the whole procedure. This includes cohesion, discipline, and combat ethics. We also insist on aspects considered to be essential, such as respect for the law and for international humanitarian law, and making Mali's military personnel aware of gender issues.
Esteban Villarejo, The Threat of Jihadism in Mali Has Not Been Neutralized, ABC website, in Spanish 31 December 2013
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In many African countries, the population has absolutely no say in the way the nation is run. The rulers serve their masters in American or European capitals.
Classic examples are the French speaking West African countries where the ruling elite represent the French elite and any attempt at changing the status quo is met with French military intervention.
In Mali, the Touaregs have found it had to change the government in Bamako. The French first intervened under the guise of fighting Al-Qaeda and then organized a smokescreen election to stabilize the country.
A stable Mali under the current system only benefits the ruling elites and the French. Currently, France is fighting rebels in Central African Republic (CAR) with the intention of reestablishing the old order where the citizens will have absolutely no role in the direction of their country. The story of Ivory Coast mirrors that of Mali and CAR.
Salah Abdi Sheikh, Somalia; With Its New Ruling Elite Somalia Has Lost Destiny, The Star (Nairobi), January 3, 2014
***
"Facilitators"
Among the jihadists, "there are permanent members and occasional members, the recruitment fluctuates," observes General Guionie, number two with the Serval force. A fact that renders security even more complicated. "Our adversaries cannot be placed into particular categories. We cannot act according to this Cartesian vision," confirms Lieutenant Colonel Calvez.
Yet little by little the work of the French in the field is paying off and the inhabitants of Gao no longer hesitate in providing information on jihadist groups. Four "facilitators" - men who act as go-betweens between the militias and civilians - were arrested recently close to Timbuktu, the most recent by Malian forces.
A sure sign that the Islamist groups are still active in the region is the discovery by Serval troops near Tessalit on 29 December of a cache of five tons of ammonium nitrate, the principal component in making home-made bombs. At the beginning of the month they also discovered a fully fledged training camp in the desert with a buried service station, stocks of spare parts, pick-up trucks concealed under straw, caches of medicines, and shooting ranges. All of which was invisible from the air but a site used as recently as three days before the French hit upon it.
Laure Bretton, In Mali, French Troops Still Face Jihadist Threat, Liberation website, in French 1 January 2014
***
Spanish Colonel Felix Eugenio Garcia Cortigo is the second head of this EU operation, with an order of battle comprising 534 officers, soldiers, and other ranks. EUTM has already trained three battalions of Mali's army. Each is made up of 700 troops. They are already fighting in the north of the country ... beyond Timbuktu. The original, 15-month, mandate of the operation ends in May. It is likely that the EU will extend it for a further 24 months. Colonel Garcia Cortijo stresses that "the operation's record, to date, is undeniably successful." The EU is already drawing a new operational plan for the period 2014-2016.
[Villarejo Villarejo] What news do you have, about Mali's battalions that have been trained?
[Garcia Cortijo] The first group (called "Waraba," meaning "lion") is operating in the north east of the country. The second ("Elou," meaning "elephant") in Kidal and Menaka, having taken part in operation "Hydra" side by side with French and UN troops. The third ("Sigui," meaning buffalo) is awaiting to be assigned a deployment zone. All reports reaching us, dealing with their behaviour, are positive.
[Villarejo Villarejo] What does the training that you provide them involve?
[Garcia Cortijo] They are tactical groups, bringing together a number of specialties: infantry, artillery, engineers, communications, logistics, commandos ... For 10 weeks, we train them gradually, from the individual combatant level to the tactical group level. Something very important for us is to insist also on morale, during the whole procedure. This includes cohesion, discipline, and combat ethics. We also insist on aspects considered to be essential, such as respect for the law and for international humanitarian law, and making Mali's military personnel aware of gender issues.
Esteban Villarejo, The Threat of Jihadism in Mali Has Not Been Neutralized, ABC website, in Spanish 31 December 2013