Mali back in African fold as world rallies to oust Islamists

The international community has ramped up efforts to help Mali drive radical Islamists from its north, with the African Union taking the nation back into its fold in its bid to curb the extremist threat. Western powers are helping the pan-African bloc draw up plans for a military intervention to be presented to the United Nations in late November, offering logistical support rather than troops to help Mali recover its territory. The African Union, which suspended Mali after a March coup that led to the country’s rapid implosion, on Wednesday re-admitted it despite a lack of cohesion in Bamako, where an interim regime has failed to assert itself. Observers have warned of significant challenges as countries in west Africa remain divided over whether military intervention is the best approach. “Malians and the international community alike need to redouble efforts to address the prevailing situation in the north,” urged Nkosozana Dlamini-Zuma, chairperson of the AU commission at a meeting in Addis Ababa on Wednesday. “The latter represents a threat that we have to attend to immediately and decisively.” The African Union endorsed a plan urging the “restoration of state authority of the northern part of the country,” an area larger than France which was seized by Al-Qaeda linked extremists in the wake of the coup. The plan also calls for elections in early 2013, as well as for Mali’s authorities to attempt to negotiate with those armed groups willing to find a political solution through dialogue. Dlamini-Zuma also announced plans to open an AU office in Bamako and “to strengthen its presence elsewhere in the region.” The re-admission of Mali into the African Union comes amid a flurry of activity to find a workable solution to the country’s crisis after months of talks and prevaricating over how to stamp out the radicals’ presence. Western powers are fearful the vast arid zone could become a training ground for terrorists and pose a wider threat. The Islamists have already made pointed threats against any nation attempting military intervention. Tuareg rebellion Once one of the region’s stable nations, Mali has suffered a devastating collapse since a rebellion by Tuareg desert tribes launched in January brought its ill-prepared army to its knees. Angry soldiers ousted Amadou Toumani Toure’s government just six weeks before an election, creating a political and military vacuum which allowed the Tuaregs and their Islamist allies to seize the north. The Islamists, backed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), have since chased out the secular nomads and installed their own law — whipping, stoning and executing transgressors. The Economic Community of West African States has for months made available a 3,000-strong African force for an eventual military intervention, but divisions in the region and in Bamako have delayed action. On October 13, the UN Security Council gave ECOWAS 45 days to come up with a detailed plan on how it intended to recapture the north. The United States, France and Germany have all pledged support for this intervention, offering training, logistics and equipment, but not troops. The Carnegie Middle East Program warned in a paper on the Mali conflict published this month that stablizing the regime in Bamako should be a priority. “Given all of the unstable forces at play in northern Mali and the precarious position of the government in the south, any premature intervention could have disastrous consequences.” American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Algeria next week to discuss the Malian crisis. Algeria’s involvement is seen as critical. It has the region’s biggest defense capabilities and proven experience in counterterrorism, but has been ambivalent about getting over-involved. Along with Mali’s other neighbor Mauritania, Algeria earlier this month called for dialogue to solve the crisis. Both nations have ruled out sending troops. “The difficulty that the international community has in agreeing on an action plan for peace spells trouble for Mali and its neighbors. As it stands, the foundations for military intervention are still missing,” said the Carnegie report.