Mali: Islamic rebels driving out Tuareg in north

An alliance between Tuaraeg rebels who set up the state of Azawad in northern Mali and Ansar Dine an Islamic rebel group has broken down with the Ansar Dine taking over Timbuktu and apparently some other towns in the north.

Ansar Dine is said to be linked to Al Qaeda. In the town of Gao there was also a fight between Tuareg and Ansar Dine with 20 being killed and Ansar Dine taking over the town. These developments will make it virtually certain that there will be military intervention and further bloodshed in the north as Malian troops bolstered by other African troops from ECOWAS will try to retake the territory.

No officials from Ansar Dine or the Tuareg could be reached to confirm these actions. UNESCO is worried about World Hertiage sites in Timbuktu since the Ansar Dine may very well vandaliz them . From the video at this site it would seem this has already happened to some extent. The Ansar Dine impose Sharia law wherever they go.

Key cities in northern Mali were seized by the Tuareg earlier in March but then Islamist fighters appeared from the mountains. The Tuareg was a secular state while the Islamist want an Islamist state with Islamic law. Some Tuareg came from Libya where they had fought for Gadaffi and were well armed. It is not clear where the Islamists manage to get all their firepower and who finances them. For more see this article.

African states seek UN resolution authorizing military intervention in Mali

The northern part of Mali has been taken over by Tuareg rebels and Islamists. The Tuareg have declared the area the independent state of Azawad. However no country has recognized the state as yet.

ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) has requested a UN resolution that would legitimize military action against the northern rebels. A Security Council diplomat said:"It's going to take some time before the Security Council is in a position to approve outside intervention in Mali," "It's not that we're opposed, it's just that there are many questions about how it would be done that need to be answered first." The African Union has also requested a resolution that would sanction intervention.

The original coup that overthrew the democratic president of Mali was motivated partly by the fact that the Mali government had not put down the rebellion in the north. However the coup itself led by a U.S. trained captain created conditions which allowed the rebels to consolidate their hold on the entire northern part of the country. Now it appears that the transitional government is intent on getting outside help to drive out the rebels and retake the territory.. There seems to be no talk of negotiations. Expect a long and bloody war supported by the U.S. France and other western powers. For more see this article.

Tuareg rebels announce ruling council while differences still exist with Islamic radical alllies

During and after the recent military coup in Mali Tuareg rebels in the north drove out the central government forces joined by Islam rebels from mountain areas who are called Anser Dine. The Tuareg rebels are called the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad.

Azawad is an area that covers parts of several countries but the Tuareg have declared an independent state in the Mali portion. They have now named a council which will be responsible for defense, security and education. They will also deal with foreign policy and land management. No country has recognized the area as independent. The Mali coup leaders overthrew the elected president on the ground that he had not worked hard enough to drive out the rebels. It is most likely that once politics is sorted out in the south that the army will again move north.

Since Anser Dine are radical Islamists who are claimed to have links to Al Qaeda the U.S which already has a few special forces in Mali will be anxious to help retake the north.

The Tuareg rebels in the NMLA want a secular state. Some come from Libya where they fought for Gadaffi. Of course Gadaffi suppressed Islamic militants. Although the two groups announced a merger the NMLA says the agreement is now under review. Anser Dine was the north to be an Islamic state under Sharia law. In spite of their radical differences the two groups will no doubt try their best to form a common front to resist any government attempts to retake territory. For much more see this article and even more depth here.

Rival Rebel Groups disagree over nature of new Azawad state in Mali

Although the Tuareg and Islamic militants have jointly driven out the Malian military from the northern area they are unable to agree on the nature of the newly declared independent Azawad.

The largest group is the Tuareg led National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (NMLA). This group fought most of the major battles against the Malian military. However, as they advanced the Islamic militant group Ansar Dine joined in the fray. This group wants Azawad to be a Taliban style state under Sharia law.

On the other hand the Tuareg some of whom fought for Gadaffi want a secular state. Gadaffi of course persecuted radical Islmanists. Some claim that Ansar Dine has ties to Al Qaeda. I always take such claims with a grain of salt. Often this is used as a justification for U.S. aid or even involvement. There are already U.S. special forces in Mali and the Malian military have been trained and provided aid by the U.S. One can expect a military move to oust the rebels after the political situation is sorted out down south.

A couple of months ago a U.S trained Capt. Sanogo led a successful military coup against the elected president. While he handed over power to a transitional civilian government he is still influential and of course was not punished for his actions.

The Tuareg want Azawad to ratify UN conventions on human rights and be a secular state. Both the Tuareg and Islamists have forces in major cities. So far they have avoided outright conflict. The groups no doubt realize they need unity to confront attempts by the Malian military to retake the territory. For more see this article.

Mali transitional government rejects independence of Azawad in the north

An alliance of rebels in the north of Mali have declared independence as the state of Azawad. The transitional government of Mali has rejected the move and the state has not been recognized so far internationally either.

The minister of information said:"The government of Mali categorically rejects the idea of the creation of an Azawad state, even more so of an Islamic state," Earlier Islamic groups and Tuareg rebels had been at odds in the northern territory but after extended talks they have agreed to merge or at least cooperate in forming an independent state in the north. The groups have taken control of most if not all of the territory.

The two groups are National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad and the Islamic Ansar Dine (Defenders of Faith). Alghabass Intalla a leader of Ansar Dine said:"I have just signed an accord that will see an independent and Islamic state where we have Islamic law

This move will ensure help from the U.S. who already have a few special forces in Mali. The Mali military has been trained by the U.S. including the leader of the recent coup against the elected president., Captain Sanogo Some claim the Ansar Dine group is linked with Al Qaeda particularly Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)

While the coup's rationale was that the Mali government was not pursuing rebels in the north with sufficient vigor, after the coup the country is still trying to maintain some stability in the south. The coup leader transferred power to a transitional government. In the meanwhile rebels took control of the entire northern part of Mali. In time with the help of the U.S. one can expect war and violence in the north again aided by the U.S. in the name of the war on terrorism. For more see this article.

Mali: Tuareg rebels take Timbuktu

Coup leaders justified their action by the need to put down Tuareg rebels in the north. However, since the coup the rebels have advanced rapidly through the north..

In Timbuktu government troops fled the advance. Local militias who were guarding businesses apparently mixed with the rebels and did not fight with them. The rebels bombarded an army base but there were no troops there.

Since the coup rebels have advanced quickly taking two main towns in the north Kidal and Gao. Rebels are driving through Timbuktu waving the MNLA (Movement for the Liberation of Azawad) flag.

Timbuktu is almost 1,000 years old. It is on the southern edge of the giant Sahara desert. The town is on key trading routes. It is also noted for Islamic scholarship with over 700 ancient manuscripts in approximately sixty libraries.

The democratically elected president of Mali Amadou Toure is supposedly safe but kept at a secret location by the rebels. The fighting in the north has displaced about 200,000 people adding to the problems in Mali and neighbouring countries. For more see this article.

Do not be surprised if the U.S. intervenes secretly through special forces and drone attacks as the Tuareg fought with Gadaffi and also some rebel groups are associated with Islamic radicals. The U.S. trained the coup leader and supplies the Malian military with military equipment.

U.S. trained Mali coup leader

The leader of the Mali coup Captain Amadou Sanogo participated in a U.S. training program and has visited the U.S. several times. Sanogo trained as a part of the U.S. International Military Education and Training Program. The program is sponsored by the State Department.

Participants are handpicked by U.S. embassy staff in the countries involved. Sanogo with soldiers loyal to him staged a coup and looted the presidential palace in the process. The democratically elected president Amadou Toure is being held by the coup leaders. Sanogo staged the coup just a month before elections.

Sanogo says that the government did not provide enough resources to fight Tuareg rebels in the north. No doubt he hopes that the U.S. or others will provide military aid. Some of the Tuareg fought for the Gadaffi regime in Libya.

The coup was relatively bloodless. The coup claims that three were killed and about 40 wounded. However, these are figures from those who staged the uprising.

Sanogo claims he will call an election as soon as he puts down aa Tuareg insurgency in the north of the country. Good luck! Tuareg rebellions began back in 1916 and there have been five since. The most recent rebels have merged as the National Movement for Liberation of Azawad. See this article.

There has been widespread looting by soldiers in Bamako. Sanogo blames the looting on ill intentioned individuals. These individuals of course are among those who brought him to power.

The U.S. has condemned the coup, so has the African Union. The African Union suspended Mali's membership in the Union. The U.S. will continue its 140 million dollar aid program and has no plans to suspend it. For more see this article.

African Union suspends Mali membership after military coup

Rebels in Presidential Palace

As well as suspending Mali the AU is sending a mission to Mali to investigate after mutinying soldiers took over power. The AU met on Friday and said it would deploy a group to Bamaka the capital of Mali immediately.

Chairman of the AU Jean Ping said that the coup was a backward step for Mali and to attempts to promote democracy in Africa. The coup toppled President Amadou Toure's democratically elected government. The armed forces have complained that the government has not provided the resources they need to fight Tuareg rebels in the north of the country.

The rebels who call themselves the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad are Tuareg who live in the Azawad area that straddles several different African countries. Some of them fought for Gadaffi in Libya and have now returned many with weapons.

The rebels insist that they will dislodge the Malian armed forces and the Malian administration from all the Azawad area which is in the north of Mali. Both the World Bank and African Development Bank announced they were suspending all development aid to Mali pending the restoration of constitutional government.

The rebels claim to have seized the town of Anefis which is on the highway linking the two main northern towns of Gao and Kidal. In the capital Bamako residents say that bread and fuel supplies were running low as the soldiers looted gas stations and shops and even took cars. For more see this Al Jazeera article.

Mali: Tuareg rebels threaten northern city

  Tuareg rebels have taken up positions near the city of  Kidal in northern Mali. The Tuareg are a nomadic group who inhabit regions in several countries. The entire region is called by them the Azawad. They have been rebelling for almost a century! See this article for their most recent actions.
    Many of the Tuareg were active in Gadaffi's Libyan armed forces. With the defeat of Gadaffi many have migrated back into the Azawad regions. Some say they have brought with them many weapons. In Mali the rebellion was ended in 2009 but relations between the group and the central government have remained strained.
     Security forces recently in Kidal stopped protests against the arrest of two female members of the Tuareg. The rebels have attacked six towns in the region of late. A rebel spokesperson said  that their strategy was to begin with small towns but that they had the capacity to take larger towns. He said:“Like all the other major towns in the north, Kidal is one of the towns we intend to take over,”“Our strategy has been to attack smaller towns with major military bases first so later we don’t have to worry about attacks coming from many directions." Obviously these clashes could evolve into a major civil war in the north of Mali. For more see this article.