<
http://isnblog.ethz.ch/security/mali-can-al-qaeda-in-the-islamic-maghreb-be
-stopped> Mali – Can Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Be Stopped?
<
http://globalvoicesonline.org/author/julie-owono/> Julie Owono
04, September 2012
A solution to the crisis in Mali seems to be vanishing as time goes by. It
is now five months since the country was divided into two parts: southern
Mali is ruled by a
<
http://www.slateafrique.com/92575/lordre-est-de-retour-bamako-sanogo>
fragile [fr] government whereas the north, which includes the historic
cities of Timbuktu and Gao, falls under the influence of
<
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda_in_the_Islamic_Maghreb> Al Qaeda in
the Islamic Maghreb‘s (AQIM) and their expansion across the Sahel.
Northern Mali indirectly in the hands of AQIM
In April 2012, after the cities of Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal had fallen, the
Tuareg rebellion group National Movement for Liberation of Azawad (MNLA)
unilaterally proclaimed the secession of the northern part of the country.
Currently, the region is under the influence of
<
http://www.slateafrique.com/90045/au-nord-mali-quatre-forces-se-partagent-t
erritoire-et-pouvoir-mnla-ansar-dine-mujao-aqmi> four [fr] different groups
– the
<
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Movement_for_the_Liberation_of_Azawad
> MNLA, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansar_Dine> Ansar Dine, which defines
itself as Salafist, the
<
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unity_Movement_for_Jihad_in_West_Africa_%2
8Mujao%29> Movement for the Unity of Jihad in West Africa (Mujao), and AQIM.
However, a
<
http://www.maliweb.net/news/insecurite/2012/07/20/article,81345.html/commen
t-page-1#comments> report [fr] by AFP, suggests that it is actually AQIM
that coordinates and funds the three other organizations, a suspicion that
is reinforced by the alleged presence in Mali of Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a
founding member of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (SGPC), which
became the AQIM.
In March 2012,
<
http://www.israeldefense.com/?CategoryID=484&ArticleID=1019>
israeldefense.com wrote about Belmokhtar’s visits to Libya, while also
raising concerns over the possible expansion of AQIM across the Southern
Sahara:
According to Mali’s security sources, the leader of al-Qaeda’s North African
branch, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, has been in Libya for several weeks with the
goal of procuring arms. (…) Malian security sources claim that Belmokhtar’s
activities in Libya confirm the premise that AQIM intends to extend its
sphere of influence and that “terrorists will do anything to create a
sweeping network in the Sahel and the Sahara.”
Political and diplomatic deadlock
It appears that AQIM is consolidating its grip on Northern Mali. On August
9, Koaci.com reported that members of the Mujao cut the
<
http://koaci.com/articles-76762> hand [fr] off of an alleged thief in the
city of Ansogo. This followed the July 30
<
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/07/201273021254165201.html>
stoning of an unwed couple in the region of Kidal.
To date, regional responses to the crisis have been muted. While West
African leaders appointed Blaise Compaoré, President of Burkina Faso, as a
<
http://www.lefaso.net/spip.php?article47162> mediator [fr], the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has yet to send
<
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/07/20/mali-what-is-the-ecowas-waiting-fo
r/> military forces to restore the territorial unity of Mali.
And while <
http://www.afrik.com/article26645.html> Afrik.com [fr] reports
that the de facto Malian government and ECOWAS have reached an agreement
aimed at resolving the crisis, military intervention remains the preferred
option of many netizens. Thierno A. Diallo from neighboring Guinea writes on
his
<
http://www.guineelibre.com/article-mali-intervention-militaire-au-sahelista
n-108846657.html> blog [fr]:
“What happens in Mali is serious. Our country, bordering the south and not
so far from this zone of lawlessness has everything to lose in the case of
the victory of these fanatics at our doors. Guinean politicians with their
heads in the sand due to the endless parliamentary elections wanted by Alpha
Condé [President of Guinea] may have a sudden and very painful awakening.
The area closest geographically and therefore being increasingly threatened
is Upper Guinea.”
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Received on Tue Sep 04 2012 - 17:54:03 EDT
