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The Importance of Mali
By Georgy Gounev
January 30, 2013
Media coverage of the French reaction to the establishment of an Islamic enclave in Mali creates the impression of a limited operation conducted by a small military contingent. The vastness of one of the largest and poorest African countries has helped to reinforce such an impression. What should not be forgotten, however, is that this picture is only the visible part of the mighty iceberg.
The early stages of the process that led to the French intervention in Mali was connected to the appearance of the first Islamic groups in the northern part of the country during the 1990s. The development that brought about the creation of an Islamic enclave in Mali was initiated by the Islamic leftovers from the Libyan and the Algerian civil wars.
The oil-related cash that for decades flowed into Libya produced a wave of immigrants from countries tot he south. The largest majority of black jobseekers were looking for employment at the numerous construction projects of rich but underpopulated Libya.
When the Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi decided to create a mercenary force similar to the French Foreign Legion, immigration issues became more complicated. There were numerous and generally false speculations about the important role played by the black mercenaries in the civil war that had led to the downfall of Qaddafi.
As a matter of fact this role was quite limited. There were only 1,500 black mercenaries, which included hundreds of Mali-based Tuaregs, out of the 76,000 soldiers loyal to the dictator. This situation didn't save the terrified majority of black immigrants to Libya from the brutal treatment they got from the "rebels."
The end of Qaddafi rule was greeted enthusiastically by the world media. But what remained hidden for quite some time was the huge arsenal of weapons the dictator had acquired during the long decades of his rule. These weapons ended up primarily in the hands of a motley crowd of Jihadists.
Recently the French military contingent got involved in an intense battle with the Jihadists in northern Mali. The French participants in the battle were impressed by the sophistication of the training and the weapons of their enemies. But there was no cause for amazement, considering that 10,000 shoulder-fired missile launchers possessed by the Kaddafi army ended up in the hands of the radical Islamists.
The Algerian civil war throughout the 1990s was a conflict that still awaits a complete analysis. This long and brutal confrontation was won by the Algerian Army. From time to time, although defeated, the Islamists were able to organize terrorist acts in urban areas and to maintain their presence in the isolated desert areas of Algeria. It was from there that they recently launched an assault on the Amenas gas facility located in the southeastern corner of the country.
[Excerpt]
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Articles: The Importance of Mali
By Georgy Gounev
January 30, 2013
Media coverage of the French reaction to the establishment of an Islamic enclave in Mali creates the impression of a limited operation conducted by a small military contingent. The vastness of one of the largest and poorest African countries has helped to reinforce such an impression. What should not be forgotten, however, is that this picture is only the visible part of the mighty iceberg.
The early stages of the process that led to the French intervention in Mali was connected to the appearance of the first Islamic groups in the northern part of the country during the 1990s. The development that brought about the creation of an Islamic enclave in Mali was initiated by the Islamic leftovers from the Libyan and the Algerian civil wars.
The oil-related cash that for decades flowed into Libya produced a wave of immigrants from countries tot he south. The largest majority of black jobseekers were looking for employment at the numerous construction projects of rich but underpopulated Libya.
When the Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi decided to create a mercenary force similar to the French Foreign Legion, immigration issues became more complicated. There were numerous and generally false speculations about the important role played by the black mercenaries in the civil war that had led to the downfall of Qaddafi.
As a matter of fact this role was quite limited. There were only 1,500 black mercenaries, which included hundreds of Mali-based Tuaregs, out of the 76,000 soldiers loyal to the dictator. This situation didn't save the terrified majority of black immigrants to Libya from the brutal treatment they got from the "rebels."
The end of Qaddafi rule was greeted enthusiastically by the world media. But what remained hidden for quite some time was the huge arsenal of weapons the dictator had acquired during the long decades of his rule. These weapons ended up primarily in the hands of a motley crowd of Jihadists.
Recently the French military contingent got involved in an intense battle with the Jihadists in northern Mali. The French participants in the battle were impressed by the sophistication of the training and the weapons of their enemies. But there was no cause for amazement, considering that 10,000 shoulder-fired missile launchers possessed by the Kaddafi army ended up in the hands of the radical Islamists.
The Algerian civil war throughout the 1990s was a conflict that still awaits a complete analysis. This long and brutal confrontation was won by the Algerian Army. From time to time, although defeated, the Islamists were able to organize terrorist acts in urban areas and to maintain their presence in the isolated desert areas of Algeria. It was from there that they recently launched an assault on the Amenas gas facility located in the southeastern corner of the country.
[Excerpt]
Read more:
Articles: The Importance of Mali
