"Everyone knew this
situation was coming; everyone knew that AQIM was present in the region;
everyone knew that the Tuareg rebellion from 2008 in Mali had not been
decapitated. And yet the Malians did not act.".......
Bazoum Mohammed, Niger's foreign minister.
The situation in Northern Mali, where a rebellion by Tuaregs and Islamic Militants declared a ‘liberated Azawad’ in the North of Mali and then pushed to the government-controlled South, has alarmed the international community, particularly France. From the dust raised in the recent clash between
the Malian Military and extremist Islamic Militant groups, top of which is the
‘Ansar Dine and
Mujao’, both are thought to be part of an extensive
network of Al-Queda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)- though having different ideologies as against
the Tuareg rebels of Northern Mali, the rebellious forces united for a
cause---‘shaking off Northern Mali or Azawad from Malian control’.
The
vast arid North of Mali (an area the size of France) is covered by the Sahara
and is populated by the Tuaregs (a nomadic people who live in Mali, Algeria,
Libya, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger). Seen as light-skinned (though they are called the ‘blue people’), they’ve complained of marginalization in their respective countries of residence. As such, the Tuaregs have fought several
rebellious wars against the government of Niger, Algeria and Mali.
Despite
the separatist intrigues of the Tuaregs in the Sahara, their rebellions have
been quelled by force and negotiations over the years by the respective governments
they rebelled against. However, a statement made by
the foreign minister of Niger at the recent Bamako summit in October 2012 hosted to resolve the Malian crises shows that all is not well with Mali,
especially the city
that hosts the tomb of 333 saints (Timbuktu)! Even her neighbours are alarmed by this dawning, gruelling fact.
The rebel-held Azawad or Northern Mali is already at a phase of derelict lawlessness, and there are fears that it may become Africa’s Afghanistan or Pakistan’s Swat valley…hence the name ‘Azawadstan’!
Among
the issues calling for action in Northern Mali are:
The clash between
Tuareg separatist rebels (MNLA) and
Islamist militants. Though having variant ideologies, these groups united to
kick out the Malian army from Azawad.
The
destruction of ‘mausoleums’ and tombs of Islamic scholars in Timbuktu—is regarded
as a world heritage site by the UN.
The
unhindered operation of Islamic militant groups, especially (Al Queda in the
Islamic Maghreb) who are turning Northern Mali into a base or training facility for launching
attacks in neighbouring states.
Most
concerned is the Nigerien government, which fears that the Malian instability
might just precipitate in their country and serve as a distillery
for instability in the
West African Subregion.
The recent capture of Diabaly and the attack on Konna by
the Islamist militants thus putting Bamako (the Malian capital) and the
remaining government-controlled areas at risk of being united under one ‘Azawadstan.’Intriguingly, the Malian crises do have some foreign undertones. It is believed to be heightened by the influx of Tuareg fighters from Libya
who fought on the side of the defeated Gaddafi
loyalist forces during the 2011 Libyan revolution. Surely, the Libyan conflict did not end
cheaply. The proliferation of weapons during the conflict must have added to the lethal force of the Tuareg and Islamic separatist forces.
With
hard lessons still being learnt from the Pakistani and Afghanistan situation,
there’s a concern that the Malian case will not fall in that line.
There
have been calls for an Ecowas military intervention force to liberate Northern
Mali as any attempt to allow for an ‘Azawadstan’
may spark Tuareg separatist conflicts in other neighbouring countries and most
the most chilling terrorist attacks in the West African subregion and even
Europe!. Bearing in mind
that Al-Queda-linked groups hold sway in the territory, there’s an onus to
restore sanity to the rebellious territory.
The Malian North, which is a vast expanse of Sahara, may not be familiar territory for any Ecowas intervention force. Moreover, there will be a need for logistical air support from Western powers—a cause that France is spearheading. With
the Islamist militants now pushing towards Bamako, the French President has
acceded to demands by the Malian Prime minister for help in the face of the
ignominious defeat suffered by the Malian army in the hands of the rebels. The
swift response of the French has thus encouraged a mobilization of
West African forces to counter the activities of the Malian Islamists.
With the international scene wary of foreign intervention in crises-ridden countries, whilst contention cannot be agreed on Syria, the world cannot afford to watch a helpless and hapless Malian regime turn into Azawadstan!
