Mali

Shifting Militia Allegiances and the Prospects for Ending the Small War in Northern Mali

SWJED — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 04:20:57 +0000

Shifting Militia Allegiances and the Prospects for Ending the Small War in Northern Mali SWJED Wed, 08/14/2019 - 12:20am

Unfortunately, there is no easy fix to the situation in northern Mali. The Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation still provides a blueprint for a more just, inclusive, and peaceful social contract to regulate relations between the government and the people and between different communities in the area.

Assessment of the Efficacy of the French Military Intervention in the Northern Mali Conflict

SWJED — Mon, 13 May 2019 05:22:31 +0000

Assessment of the Efficacy of the French Military Intervention in the Northern Mali Conflict

This article is published as part of the Small Wars Journal and Divergent Options Writing Contest which runs from March 1, 2019 to May 31, 2019. The French military intervention in the Northern Mali Conflict in 2013 (Operation Serval) was a military success and met the criteria for success established by civilian leadership, however, it did not alter the trajectory of conflict in the region. It subsequently became conjoined to a United Nations liberal peacebuilding effort in Mali with low prospects for rapid success, resulting in a lengthy “forever war” in the Sahel.

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Conflict Resolution: The Case of Northern Mali

SWJED — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 05:07:45 +0000

Conflict Resolution: The Case of Northern Mali SWJED Mon, 02/26/2018 - 12:07am

Northern Mali has been living in perpetual and unfulfilled postwar reconstruction phases due to repeated unsuccessful national reconciliations.

On Targuité, Nomadism and the Nation: The Origins of Tuareg Militant Nationalism in North Africa

Peter J. Munson — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:30:00 +0000

On Targuité, Nomadism and the Nation: The Origins of Tuareg Militant Nationalism in North Africa Peter J. Munson Wed, 06/12/2013 - 3:30am

As contemporary North African societies continue to re-arrange themselves , one of the enduring dilemmas that continues to rise to the fore is what has been described as “the Tuareg question."

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Who’s on First? Or Why Fences Matter More Than Al-Qaeda in Mali

Peter J. Munson — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 08:30:00 +0000

Who’s on First? Or Why Fences Matter More Than Al-Qaeda in Mali Peter J. Munson Wed, 03/13/2013 - 4:30am

The provision of both financial and development programs in the northern territories of Mali is an effective way to deter vulnerable groups from adhering to AQ ideology.

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The Role of Ideology in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution During the Tuareg Rebellions

Peter J. Munson — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:30:00 +0000

The Role of Ideology in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution During the Tuareg Rebellions Peter J. Munson Wed, 02/27/2013 - 3:30am

Miller traces the history of conflict resolution and negotiation during the four Tuareg rebellions in Mali, focusing primarily on the role of ideology.

The Galula Doctrine: An Interview with Galula's Biographer A.A. Cohen

Peter J. Munson — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:30:00 +0000

The Galula Doctrine: An Interview with Galula's Biographer A.A. Cohen Peter J. Munson Tue, 01/22/2013 - 3:30am

For COIN, a trinity of attributes is needed to complement traditional military acumen: analytical intelligence, openness of mind, and broad culture.

The Black Flag Flies in Mali

Peter J. Munson — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 15:04:28 +0000

The Black Flag Flies in Mali

Writing at the al-Wasat blog, Andrew Lebovich described the unstable situation in Mali's north.

Less than two weeks after a group of Malian junior officers led a coup against the government of president Amadou Toumani Touré, Mali’s war in the north has fallen apart. In a three-day period that ended Monday, Tuareg rebels had seized the three major northern towns of Kidal, Gao, and Timbuktu, victories unparalleled in the past. ...

The rush to capitalize on the dissolution of Mali’s army in the north has brought to the fore deep conflicts between the MNLA and the salafist-inspired Ansar Al-Din, and brought two terrorist groups who call northern Mali home – Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and its “splinter” group the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJWA) out of the woodwork. ...

The situation in northern Mali remains fluid, and the MNLA may not have time for complicated machinations. Until today it had seemed increasingly possible that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) would send a peacekeeping detachment to Mali, though the contours and rules around an eventual deployment were never clear. Reports indicate that ECOWAS and the Malian junta reached a deal for Captain Amadou Sanogo tostep aside in favor of an interim transitional government to be led by parliamentary speaker Diouncounda Traore. In return, ECOWAS will remove travel and trade sanctions put in place following the coup.

Regardless of what’s going on in the south, though, the north will likely remain unstable, and the MNLA must move quickly to reassert its position in northern Mali. If not, it may find itself shut out of the major power centers in the newly “liberated” Azawad, left to contend with an increasingly assertive and entrenched “desert fox.”

Read much more insightful analysis here.

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