Stories from and

When a Coup is not a Coup in Mali

  11 December 2012

This is not a coup. The president is still in place but the prime minister was no longer working in the interests of the country Bakary Mariko, spokesperson for the former military junta, explains why [fr]the army has arrested the former prime minister of Mali Cheikh Modibo Diarra who resigned...

Concern over Subterranean Water in the Sahel

  11 November 2012

We are told that miners do everything to waterproof the soil and ensure that waste does not contaminate subterranean water. But it must be recognized that there is always a risk, as they can never be completely sure that they are not contaminating subterranean pools. Moreover, with the impact of...

Why Mali's Army is Hesitant about Foreign Intervention in the North

  25 September 2012

Tiékorobani goes to great length explaining why Captain Sanogo and the Malian Army are hesitant about foreign intervention [fr] in Northern Mali. He argues that Sanogo fears that he will lose control the global military operations and that in turn, his officers might rebel against him because of his loss of...

Mauritania: A Diplomat's Take on the Azawad

  5 September 2012

Mauritanian writer and diplomat Mohamed Mahmoud Weddady writes a series of posts in his blog entitled: “Papers about Azawad” [ar], about history and people of Azawad region. This post, for instance, focuses on the relationship between the Azawad and Libya.

Mali: What is The ECOWAS Waiting for ?

  20 July 2012

Francis Laloupo wonders whether the ECOWAS has a clear  purpose in the resolution [fr] of the crisis in Northern Mali. Laloupo argues that while the ECOWAS has maintained for the past 4 months that they strive to re-establish the unity of the Malian territory,  they have yet to draw a coherent strategy to...

Africa: Music From Saharan Cellphones

  26 May 2012

Chris Kirkley presents “Music From Saharan Cellphones”: The music on the compilation was collected from cellphones in the Northern Malian town of Kidal. In much of West Africa, cellphones are are used as all-purpose multimedia devices.

Mali: Junta Aims to Take Back Control after Caretaker President's Term

  11 May 2012

Marcus Boni Teiga explains why he thinks we should not hold our collective breath for a resolution in the Malian crisis [fr]. While rumors of Captain Sanogo vying to be promoted General circulated in Bamako, reports indicate that the military coup leaders aim to seize back control of the country after the term...

Mali: Ansar Dine Islamists Wish to Salvage School Year in Gao

  9 May 2012

Aissata Ahmadou wrote [fr] on Maliweb.net: “The students remaining at Gao will not lose their school year. The Ansar Dine Islamists, in collaboration with a few important figures and teachers on site, have decided to organize the end-of-year exams and allow various students preparing for their Fundamental Studies Diploma and...

Africa: Southern Africa Needs an ECOWAS

  14 April 2012

Following moves by ECOWAS (The Economic Community of West African States) to defend democracy in West Africa Rumbidzai argues that Southern Africa needs an ECOWAS: “The Southern African Development Committee [Community] (SADC) on the other hand has increasingly displayed its inadequacy to address similar issues. In 2008 when Robert Mugabe...

Mali : Opinions of a Blogger on the Military Coup

  10 April 2012

On his blog Askia Mohamed [fr] reviews the military coup of March 21, 2012 and in a post entitled Un peuple-Un but-Une foi [fr] (‘One people – One Aim – One Faith’), following a brief summary of the current situation, puts the Tuareg rebellion in an historical context.