March 25, 2012
Associated Press

Mali Protesters Demand Return to Constitutional Order

Demonstrators in Mali's capital are demanding a return to constitutional order days after mutinous soldiers claimed power in a coup. . . .

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Mali: Muslim 90%, Christian 1%, indigenous beliefs 9%

John Pilger, "The Son of Africa Claims a Continent's Crown Jewels For The U.S.," New Statesman, October 20, 2011

[Sanogo, the coup leader, . . . attended English language training courses at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas from 2004-2005 and then again at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, in 2008. According to the Times, he also "attended the Army's prestigious infantry course at Fort Benning, Georgia, from August 2010 to December 2010."--Jacob G. Hornberger, "Mali: Another Imperialist "Success" Story," fff.org, March 26, 2012]

John Glaser, "Mali Coup Has US Interventionism Written All Over It," antiwar.com, March 26, 2012

"Mali Tuareg rebels 'surround Timbuktu'," BBC News, April 1, 2012

[Over the weekend, AFRICOM dispatched a team of rotating advisory troops to the capital, Bamako.--John Vandiver, "Small team of U.S. troops still in Mali, on 'stand-by'," Stars and Stripes, April 4, 2012]

"Mali's Tuareg rebels declare independence'," Associated Press in Bamoko, April 6, 2012

[Now that the Western intervention in Libya has horribly destabilized nearby countries, particularly Mali which is now de-facto partitioned, the Washington Post has looked in the mirror and decided that the answer to this instability, which was obviously caused by Western military intervention, is . . . another Western military intervention!--Mark Adomanis, "The Washington Post Jumps the Shark (No, We Shouldn't Intervene in Mali)'," Forbes, April 6, 2012]

May 3, 2012

Edward Cody, "In Mali, an Islamic extremist haven takes shape," Forbes, June 7, 2012

"Timbuktu shrines damaged by Mali Ansar Dine Islamists," BBC News, June 30, 2012

Stephen Kinzer, "US inadvertently creates a terrorist haven in Mali," boston.com, July 15, 2012

[Northern Mali promises to be the graveyard of scores of innocent people if African countries don't collectively challenge Western influence in the region.--Ramzy Baroud, "The Afghanistan of Africa," counterpunch.org, August 2, 2012]

Greg Miller and Craig Whitlock, "White House secret meetings examine al-Qaeda threat in North Africa," washingtonpost.com, October 1, 2012

[Mali could get nasty: neighbors Algeria, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast are unstable. The Saharawi of Western Sahara have fought for decades against Morocco for their own state. They are backed by Algeria.--Eric Margolis, "Beware Those Wicked Malians," ericmargolis.com, October 13, 2012]

John Hall, "Meet Mansa Musa I of Mali - the richest human being in all history," independent.co.uk, October 16, 2012

Jason Ditz, "France Sends Spy Drones to Northern Mali, Prepares for Invasion," independent.co.uk, October 22, 2012

Sudarsan Raghavan and Edward Cody, "War brewing on the latest front line against terrorism in Mali," washingtonpost.com, December 7, 2012

Ramzy Baroud, "Mali: West Africa's Gate to Convenient Chaos, Intervention," counterpunch.org, December 20, 2012

Emily Alpert, "U.N. Security Council approves military mission in Mali," latimes.com, December 20, 2012

Angelique Chrisafis, Afua Hirsch, and Nick Hopkins, "France launches air strikes on Mali President Francois Hollande responds to advance south by Islamist rebels by sending armed forces to aid Malian troops," guardian.co.uk, January 11, 2013

May Ying Welsh, "Making sense of Mali's armed groups," aljazeera.com, January 13, 2013

[China's influence in Africa, characterized by large sums of money with few strings attached in exchange for mineral concessions, is a concern for the US.--Joe Glenton, "Don't forget the critical role of China in Mali," independent.co.uk, January 15, 2013]

Tony Cartalucci, "NATO funding, arming, while simultaneously fighting Al Qaeda from Mali to Syria," globalresearch.ca, January 15, 2013

Joby Warrick and Ernesto Londono, "Americans among hostages held in Algeria as Mali conflict spills over," washingtonpost.com, January 16, 2013

Walter Pincus, "Mali insurgency followed 10 years of U.S. counterterrorism programs," washingtonpost.com, January 16, 2013

["In the long term, France has interests in securing resources in the Sahel - particularly oil and uranium, which the French energy company Areva has been extracting for decades in neighboring Niger," said Sold.--Rachel Baig, "The interests behind France's intervention in Mali," washingtonpost.com, January 16, 2013]

[The attackers have demanded an end to the French military campaign in Mali--Lamine Chikhi, "Reports say many hostages killed in Algeria siege," reuters.com, January 17, 2013]

William Wallis, "Mali joins list of US 'terror' boomerangs," ft.com, January 18, 2013

[French political, financial and military advisors and intelligence services ran West Africa from behind a facade of supposedly independent governments. . . .

Overthrowing African regimes was OK for France, but not for locals. When Mali's French-backed regime was challenged, France feared its other West African clients might face similar fate, and began sending troops to back the Bamako regime.--Eric Margolis, "On To Timbuktu II," ericmargolis.com, January 18, 2013]

Heba Saleh and Kiran Stacey, "West faces 'decades' of conflict in N Africa," ft.com, January 21, 2013

[Mali - along with Ghana - accounts for up to 8% of global gold production. So if you're desperate for the genuine article - physical gold - you've got to control Mali. Imagine all that gold falling into the hands of... China.

Now follow the uranium. As everyone who was glued to the Niger yellowcake saga prior to the invasion of Iraq knows, Niger is the world's fourth-largest producer of uranium. Its biggest customer is - surprise! - France; half of France's electricity comes from nuclear energy. The uranium mines in Niger happen to be concentrated in the northwest of the country, on the western range of the Air mountains, very close to the Mali border and one of the regions being bombed by the French.--Pepe Escobar, "War on terror forever," atimes.com, January 23, 2013]