Can Mali win its battle for stability?

UN speeds up the withdrawal of its peacekeepers from Mali as new conflict breaks out.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali says the deteriorating security situation is forcing it to speed up its withdrawal from the country.

A week ago, six UN troops and dozens of fighters from an armed group were killed in confrontations near the northern city of Ber. The UN is already in the process of wrapping up its operations.

What are Russian mercenaries up to in Mali and elsewhere in Africa?

 

The United States says it is concerned about Wagner's destabilizing influence in Africa and has accused its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin of helping engineer the departure of UN troops from Mali. The UN voted today to withdraw from Mali as demanded by the military junta. The junta brought Wagner into Mali to help battle an Islamist insurgency. The mercenary group has been accused of atrocities in Mali and in a number of other African countries.

Wagner will continue Mali, C.A.R operations says Lavrov • FRANCE 24 English

 

Russia says the Wagner group's activities in Mali and Central African Republic will continue, unaffected, despite an aborted mutiny by its leader at the weekend. Provisional results from Sierra Leone's presidential election show the incumbent Julius Maada Bio in the lead.ahead of his main rival Samura Kamara. And Kenya's President William Ruto signs a contentious bill into law... that will raise taxes on a wide range of items, from petrol, to housing, and basic goods

The crisis in Mali

 

Northern Mali fell into the hands of armed jihadists in 2012. This resulted in the launch of the French-led "Operation Serval," designed to liberate the occupied territory. But the crisis only worsened.

Is a new strategy needed to fight armed groups in the Sahel?

 

Mali pulls out of the regional G5 Sahel force, blaming a lack of progress and disagreements.

A founding member of a multinational West African security alliance is pulling out.

Mali is withdrawing from the G5 Sahel joint force fighting armed groups linked to ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda.

Will European troops be forced out of Mali?

 

Tensions grow with Mali’s military government as France and Germany consider withdrawing soldiers.

A decade of European military interventions in Mali is starting to unravel.

Last week, the military government in the capital Bamako ordered Danish soldiers to leave immediately.

Diaby: The Away Game

 

A talented young Malian footballer’s dream comes true when he joins a professional European football club.

Abdoulaye Diaby, the rising star of Malian football, realises his dream to play in Europe.

At 18 years old, he left Bamako, his friends, his family, and his girlfriend, when recruited by the Royal Antwerp F C, the oldest club in the Belgian Pro League.

The film tells the story of his first season in Europe.

Why is France withdrawing its troops from the Sahel region?

 

French troops transferred control of a key military base in Mali, marking the final stage of their long withdrawal from the country.

Hundreds of British troops deployed to counter Islamist extremism in Mali - BBC News

 

300 British troops have been deployed to Mali in west Africa. They have joined the United Nations peacekeeping mission to the country.

Shadow War in the Sahara

'War on terror' or competition for natural resources? A look at the US and French military presence in Africa.

Africa remains a key territory on the global chessboard of the 21st century. Rich in oil and natural resources, the continent holds a strategic position.

Whoever controls Mali, controls West Africa, if not the whole of Africa. Doulaye Konate, Association of African Historians,

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to six of the world's 10 fastest growing economies. North Africa counts with vast oil and natural gas deposits, the Sahara holds the most strategic nuclear ore, and resources such as coltan, gold, and copper, among many others, are abundant in the continent. But despite its position and resources, conflict and chaos have spread throughout the continent. At the heart of this turmoil is a strategic territory: the Sahel.

Odds & Ends

Lassana Bathily who saved 7 people by hiding them in the freezer of the kosher supermarket where he works in Paris was given French citizenship for his heroism.


Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has told CNN that the city plans to sue Fox News for its coverage of the alleged "no go zones" for non-Muslims.


Booby Jindal the Republican governor of the American state of Louisiana can't seem to get over those non-Muslim no go zones that don't exist even after being confronted by a reporter from CNN who lives in Birmingham England's second largest city.

For Governor Jindal once he's bought into the right wing propaganda its like an addiction you just can't live without.

President Obama will give his State of the Union address today.  For all the hype, pontificating, whining, and analyses its still just a speech and all the policy and legislative proposals will amount to nothing.