Watch as it Develops - The Staged War Against Islamists in Northern Mali | |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 7881256 United States 01/29/2013 10:37 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
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insertfunnyusername User ID: 33259906 Greece 01/31/2013 08:04 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Malian military: 4 dead, 5 wounded in mine blast [link to news.yahoo.com] Presidential, legislative elections for Mali scheduled for April-July, 2013 [link to en.starafrica.com] UK’s Cameron visits Algeria, unveils security partnership following hostage crisis [link to www.washingtonpost.com] |
He Is Risen Indeed User ID: 28631986 United States 01/31/2013 08:25 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Chrit User ID: 27088294 United States 01/31/2013 06:39 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Snip; After six months of shrinking approval ratings amid stubbornly-high unemployment and slow economic growth, French President François Hollande has reversed the downward slide in the polls as the public praises him for his stewardship of a relatively popular French-led military intervention in Mali. A Jan. 28 survey by pollster BVA Opinion found Mr. Hollande’s job approval increased by 4 percentage points to 44 percent. In December, Hollande's 40 percent approval was the lowest since taking office in May, the first Socialist elected here since the 1980s. Snip2; Meanwhile, advancing French troops have met little or no resistance since Saturday when seizing the cities of Gao and Timbuktu; the French were taking northern territory previously held by Al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants who, in the past year, had introduced by fiat a set of harsh and ultra-orthodox interpretations of Islamic law on locals. Snip to bottom; French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius told Le Parisien newspaper Wednesday that France would soon leave Mali after what has so far appeared as a successful mission. [link to www.csmonitor.com] I'm only human, it's my biggest flaw. We must all realize a sink a chair and a pillow are all luxuries of home and a soldiers helmet takes the place of all three. |
insertfunnyusername User ID: 33444153 Greece 02/02/2013 08:27 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | [link to www.voanews.com] |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 31243632 United States 02/02/2013 11:42 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Five killed by rebels in Senegal's restive south. [link to wapo.st] note - Senegal sent 500 paratroopers to Mali - where were those soldiers before they were deployed to Mali? |
insertfunnyusername User ID: 33444153 Greece 02/02/2013 11:54 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Five killed by rebels in Senegal's restive south. Quoting: DarbyDoom [link to wapo.st] note - Senegal sent 500 paratroopers to Mali - where were those soldiers before they were deployed to Mali? I was about to post that in an African-doom post. :) Boko Haram crisis: Nigeria raids 'kill 17 militants' [link to www.bbc.co.uk] Nigeria’s Boko Haram Militants Announce Cease-Fire [link to www.voanews.com] JEM rebels say clashed with Chadian army in Darfur [link to www.sudantribune.com] In Congo, Rebels Say Peace Deal Is Close [link to online.wsj.com] Regional force to operate under UN mission to eliminate DR Congo rebel groups [link to www.globaltimes.cn] Rebels go looting in African Republic [link to www.arabnews.com] French military oversees power-sharing deal in Central African Republic [link to www.wsws.org] Last Edited by insertfunnyusername on 02/02/2013 11:55 AM |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 31243632 United States 02/02/2013 11:37 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Five killed by rebels in Senegal's restive south. Quoting: DarbyDoom [link to wapo.st] note - Senegal sent 500 paratroopers to Mali - where were those soldiers before they were deployed to Mali? I was about to post that in an African-doom post. :) Boko Haram crisis: Nigeria raids 'kill 17 militants' [link to www.bbc.co.uk] Nigeria’s Boko Haram Militants Announce Cease-Fire [link to www.voanews.com] JEM rebels say clashed with Chadian army in Darfur [link to www.sudantribune.com] In Congo, Rebels Say Peace Deal Is Close [link to online.wsj.com] Regional force to operate under UN mission to eliminate DR Congo rebel groups [link to www.globaltimes.cn] Rebels go looting in African Republic [link to www.arabnews.com] French military oversees power-sharing deal in Central African Republic [link to www.wsws.org] That is an African Doom post WOW Here's a BBC Story on Tauregs (the entire ethnic group) disappearing in Mali (into desert or neighboring countries) due to fear of reprisals/ethnic cleansing [link to bbc.in] |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 31243632 United States 02/03/2013 09:05 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Mali - new ground for Western security firms to flourish The British security firm G4S is set to rake in massive profits thanks to crises in Mali, Libya and Algeria. Recognized as the world’s biggest security firm, the group’s brand plummeted during the London Olympics last year due to its failure to satisfy conditions of a government contract. But with growing unrest in North and West Africa, G4S is expected to make a speedy recovery. The Jan. 6 hostage crisis at Algeria’s In Amenas gas plant, where 38 hostages were killed, ushered in the return of al-Qaeda not as extremists on the run, but as well-prepared militants with the ability to strike deeply into enemy territories and cause serious damage. For G4S and other security firms, this also translates into growing demands. “The British group (..) is seeing a rise in work ranging from electronic surveillance to protecting travelers,” the company’s regional president for Africa told Reuters. “Demand has been very high across Africa,” Andy Baker said. “The nature of our business is such that in high-risk environments the need for our services increases.” [link to english.alarabiya.net] |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 31243632 United States 02/03/2013 03:06 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | French Jets Bomb Northern Mali French warplanes have carried out air strikes in Mali's far north as they try to secure the final rebel stronghold of Kidal after a three-week offensive. Thirty jets targeted Islamist militants' training and communication centres around Tessalit - a mountainous area near the Algerian border. French President Francois Hollande has pledged to help rebuild Mali after the rebels who seized its north are beaten. But there are fears the fighters could re-group in the mountains near Kidal. [link to bbc.in] |
insertfunnyusername User ID: 33444153 Greece 02/04/2013 10:21 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Ship from Turkey that was held for 10 days in Volos port, sailed yesterday for Libya without the illegal 75 tons weapons/ammunition cargo that have been seized by authorities. [link to translate.google.gr] Nice Mali article by an Algerian professor. [link to translate.google.gr] [link to www.mondialisation.ca] |
insertfunnyusername User ID: 33444153 Greece 02/04/2013 12:59 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | A speech that made a lot of noise by an independent Belgian MP condemning Mali intervention and exposing neo-colonial plot. He even used the term 'fuck you' sometimes to get his point across. [link to www.youtube.com] |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 31243632 United States 02/04/2013 04:58 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Qatar Evacuating its Assets from Mali - Eric Denécé, director of the French Centre for Research on Intelligence, the time Algeria: "Qatar is conducting an air operation to smuggle dozens of terrorists in the Sahel" [link to translate.google.com] |
Chrit User ID: 27088294 United States 02/07/2013 01:36 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Snip; TIMBUKTU, Mali (AP) — French troops began to withdraw from Timbuktu Thursday after securing the fabled city as they ramped up their mission in another northern Mali city, searching for Islamic extremists who may be mixing among the local population. French military spokesman Col. Thierry Burkhard said Thursday that the operation to secure Gao is still under way, nearly two weeks after French and Malian troops moved into the area. New clashes nearby raised questions about how solid a hold the French military has on the strategic area. There is a risk of "residual presence" of terrorists mixed among the population, Burkhard said from Paris. Extremists fired rocket launchers at French troops near Gao on Tuesday. France launched a military operation in Mali on Jan. 11 to help the Malian government restore control. Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaida had imposed severe rule in northern Mali then started pushing toward the capital last month. In a sign of heightened security, authorities briefly detained three Tuareg men in Gao on Thursday who were stopped after they did not have their identity papers. The men, who came from a nearby village, were in Gao because they had missed their bus to a nearby market. The mayor intervened and the men were released. Meanwhile French troops began to draw out of Timbuktu, after greater successes in securing the desert city. Snip2; "Our objective cannot be achieved with arms only," Fabius said in an interview on French television BFM. [link to www.businessweek.com] I have a bad feeling. Last Edited by Chrit on 02/07/2013 09:07 PM I'm only human, it's my biggest flaw. We must all realize a sink a chair and a pillow are all luxuries of home and a soldiers helmet takes the place of all three. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 31243632 United States 02/07/2013 08:31 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | The Mujao (Movement for the uniqueness and jihad in West Africa) claims the laying of mines that have killed these days many civilians on the main road leading to the north of Mali. Walid Abu Sarraoui, spokesman for the Islamist group, says "other mines were laid around the cities of northern Mali." For him, in the north, the jihadists have not lost the war, instead they managed to create "a new area of conflict." He also praises jihad against "regimes loyal."... To write a long text, Abu Walid Sarhaoui used a local cell phone. If it is still on Malian territory, it therefore means that it is in a coverage area, so close to a city. Which confirms the presence of many jihadis in the region. Jihadists who does not admit defeat. [link to translate.google.com] |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 31243632 United States 02/08/2013 05:41 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Mutiny in Bamako & Suicide Bombing in GAO Heavy gunfire erupted in the west of Mali's capital Bamako on Friday, as government forces exchanged fire with mutinous paratroopers, military sources and witnesses said. Government forces sealed off the area around the paratroopers' base, as reinforcements arrived to quell the mutiny which was protesting disciplinary measures against some of the unit's members. Smoke was seen rising from the camp... North of Gao, a Saharan town recently recaptured from the Islamists, a suicide bomber on a motorbike blew himself up on Friday, injuring one Malian soldier, a Mali military officer said. Source - r**ters |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 31243632 United States 02/08/2013 08:17 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Deadly clashes between rival army units in Mali capital A deadly gun battle in the Malian capital between government soldiers and paratroops loyal to ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure has exposed deep divisions, as French-led forces continue to pursue Islamist rebels further north. [link to www.france24.com] |
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insertfunnyusername User ID: 33738777 Greece 02/08/2013 08:29 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Mutiny in Bamako & Suicide Bombing in GAO Quoting: DarbyDoom Heavy gunfire erupted in the west of Mali's capital Bamako on Friday, as government forces exchanged fire with mutinous paratroopers, military sources and witnesses said. [link to www.news-panel.com] French & Chadian troops secure Tessalit (where Tuareg uprising began) Quoting: DarbyDoom Source - R**ters Breaking News [link to www.globalpost.com] |
insertfunnyusername User ID: 33954516 Greece 02/09/2013 11:10 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | [link to www.ctvnews.ca] Great analysis and interview: French intervention 'will cost Mali its independence' Senegalese novelist Boubacar Boris Diop says war was intended to boost Hollande's image and further French interests [link to news168.co.uk] Mali's Model Democracy Myth: The international community seems intent on "restoring democracy" to Mali. But it was the pre-coup status quo that led to collapse in the first place. [link to thinkafricapress.com] [link to www.youtube.com] |
insertfunnyusername User ID: 33954516 Greece 02/10/2013 08:29 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Bashing of Qatar continues from the Algerian press, except the obvious islamist/terrorism support allegations, the reason this time is that Qatar funded Israeli Likud and Beiteinu parties with $3 and $1.5 million respectively, to support a Jordanian-Palestinian governed federation. [link to translate.google.gr] Will Algeria and Qatar manage to overcome their differences? [link to translate.google.gr] |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 31243632 United States 02/10/2013 11:18 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Wow IFUN - Great posts - you always follow the money - which means you always follow TPTB Looks like MUJWA hasn't given up that easily - fighting erupts in GAO [link to bbc.in] |
insertfunnyusername User ID: 33954516 Greece 02/10/2013 11:29 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Wow IFUN - Great posts - you always follow the money - which means you always follow TPTB Quoting: DarbyDoom Looks like MUJWA hasn't given up that easily - fighting erupts in GAO [link to bbc.in] Thanks for kind words Darby. It will be interesting to see how the various militant groups will respond to French and Ecowas forces from now on, they sure retreated far too easily imho. I got the feeling that this isn't over for them yet. Last Edited by insertfunnyusername on 02/10/2013 11:30 AM |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 31243632 United States 02/10/2013 11:31 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Last night the Telegraph had article about ethnic cleansing in Timbuktu. They interviewed last Arab in town. He was almost sympathetic until they introduced his 16 year old wife & their 2 year old daughter. Do the math - gross. Interesting tidbit - as MNLA (Tuareg group) had sided w/ French - there is real fear of Arab Tuareg civil war once French leave.. [link to www.telegraph.co.uk] Completely OT for IFUN - Libyans were chatting on twitter about how many Tuaregs live in Libya. One made this interesting observation (paraphrasing) when we talk re: number of Tuaregs in Ghadames or OBari - we are talking about number of nomads who live in area. Most of the settled people who live in those towns are ethnically Tuareg, but we don't consider them to be Tuareg b/c they have settled... We count them as either Arabs or Arabized Amazigh. So, how many "native" Tuaregs live in Libya (or lived in Libya before 2011) - small number because only the Tuaregs living in tents were counted as such. |
insertfunnyusername User ID: 33954516 Greece 02/10/2013 11:42 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Last night the Telegraph had article about ethnic cleansing in Timbuktu. Quoting: DarbyDoom They interviewed last Arab in town. He was almost sympathetic until they introduced his 16 year old wife & their 2 year old daughter. Do the math - gross. Interesting tidbit - as MNLA (Tuareg group) had sided w/ French - there is real fear of Arab Tuareg civil war once French leave.. [link to www.telegraph.co.uk] Completely OT for IFUN - Libyans were chatting on twitter about how many Tuaregs live in Libya. One made this interesting observation (paraphrasing) when we talk re: number of Tuaregs in Ghadames or OBari - we are talking about number of nomads who live in area. Most of the settled people who live in those towns are ethnically Tuareg, but we don't consider them to be Tuareg b/c they have settled... We count them as either Arabs or Arabized Amazigh. So, how many "native" Tuaregs live in Libya (or lived in Libya before 2011) - small number because it only the Tuaregs living in tents were counted as such. Sad stories, imagine how many things we're not even learning about what's really happening there and how serious the sectarian violence really is. Thanks for info about Tuaregs, they too seem to be out of the picture at the moment. An article i posted sometime back was describing them as the Kurds of the Maghreb, not that far from reality imo, so i believe that they'll give it one more shot at some point when/if the conditions are favorable, the usual islamist hijack of their rebellion must have been a serious lesson learned. |
insertfunnyusername User ID: 33954516 Greece 02/13/2013 04:37 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | After Mali Comes Niger: West Africa's Problems Migrate East Although France quickly achieved its goals in Mali, the Islamist and Tuareg militants it fought are still at large, having swiftly retreated into the northeastern part of the country. The most likely outcome of the French operation, therefore, is not an end to West Africa's problems but their spread into neighboring Niger [link to www.foreignaffairs.com] |
insertfunnyusername User ID: 33954516 Greece 02/18/2013 11:20 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Islamist group Ansaru on Monday claimed the kidnapping of seven foreigners, including one Briton, in a deadly raid on a construction site in restive northern Nigeria at the weekend. [link to www.telegraph.co.uk] MALI'S government has promised to hold elections in July, signalling an end to 15 months of interim rule that followed a military coup last year. [link to www.theaustralian.com.au] EUROPEAN Union foreign ministers formally approved the launch of a 500-strong EU military mission to train the Malian army, which has already begun work on the ground. [link to www.news.com.au] TIMBUKTU, Mali -- A delegation of U.S. lawmakers met with military officials in Mali's capital on Monday, and urged caution as the French-led military intervention to wrest back control of the country's north from the al-Qaida fighters entered its fifth week. [link to www.miamiherald.com] Ex Green Soldier: Libya Going federal [link to www.youtube.com] |
insertfunnyusername User ID: 33954516 Greece 02/19/2013 11:54 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Secret deals between army putschists and the jihadists threaten the military campaign as Bamako politicians demand retribution. The strange pact under which President Dioncounda Traoré appointed the serial putschist Captain Amadou Sanogo as head of the military reform committee in a grand ceremony in Bamako on 13 February exposes the contradictions at the heart of the government. It also raises questions about the fractured command of the national army and its willingness to fight alongside French and West African forces in northern Mali. These doubts will probably speed up the timetable for the United Nations’ involvement, as requested by France and now discreetly backed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). [link to www.africa-confidential.com] |
insertfunnyusername User ID: 33954516 Greece 02/19/2013 02:58 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | French family of 7, including 4 kids, kidnapped in Cameroon, may have been taken to Nigeria, officials suggested the involvement of one of Nigeria's Islamic extremist sects. [link to www.ottawacitizen.com] Are the islamists of the region in the process of collecting money through ransom again? |