Global Voices » Mali

Mali: Coup Leader Sanogo To be Sworn in as New Interim President

Lova Rakotomalala — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:31:10 +0000

Various online reports state [fr] that coup leader Captain Sanogo will be sworn in as new interim president after former interim president D. Traoré got injured following protests earlier in the week.

Mali: Protests Call for National Unity in Gao and Timbuktu

Andrew Kowalczuk — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:36:09 +0000

Following protests against al Qaeda in Timbuktu in April 2012, citizens of the city of Gao have taken to the streets to protest about demands and orders imposed by the groups currently occupying northern Mali. The following video shows the impact of Sharia law on Timbuktu [fr]:

Oumar Diakité described [fr] his impression of events, after having spoken with a Gao correspondent on Mali news website abamako.com:

Les rues sont occupées par la jeunesse de Gao avec en main des drapeaux maliens…Les uns sont sur des motos et brandissent le drapeau du Mali…D’autres sont habillés aux couleurs du drapeau malien… », a rapporté notre source hier vers 12 h avant d’ajouter : « On n’entend que l’hymne national du Mali et des slogans comme « Le Mali est un et indivisible ! », « A bas l’Azawad ! A bas le MNLA ! Vive le Mal »…»

“The streets are occupied by the young people of Gao, holding Malian flags in their hands… Some are on motorcycles and are waving the flag of Mali… Others are dressed in the colors of the Malian flag”, reported our source around 12 noon yesterday, before adding: “All we can hear is the national anthem of Mali and the shouting of slogans, such as ‘Mali is one and indivisible!’, ‘Down with the Azawad! Down with the MNLA! Long live Mali’…”

The Tuareg Survival blog, temoust.org, offers a different account [fr] of events:

Les manifestants, parmi lesquels des jeunes, ont brûlé des pneus dans les rues, voulant ainsi exprimer leur exaspération contre la mainmise de ces groupes sur la ville, notamment l’interdiction qui leur est faite par les islamistes de jouer au football ou de regarder la télévision. Des hommes armés ont riposté, tirant par moments à balles réelles contre les manifestants.

The protesters, including young people, burned tires in the streets to express their frustration with the hold that these groups have over the city, in particular with the ban, imposed on them by Islamists, on playing football or watching television. Armed gunmen retaliated, at times firing live ammunition at the protesters.

Malians have made emotional comments on these events in several media outlets and in the blogosphere. Wangou left the following comment after an article [fr] in the weekly Jeune Afrique:

La majorité des populations du Nord Mali est Songhay, une race guerrière qui a construit le plus grand des empires ouest africains. Il ne faut pas les provoquer. ils n'adhéreront jamais à la cause des mouvements armés. Ce qui rend impossible toute indépendance ou toute partition de cette partie au profit des touaregs…

The majority of people in northern Mali are Songhay, a warrior race who built the greatest West African empires. Do not provoke them. They will never adhere to the cause of armed movements. This makes impossible any notion of independence, or any partition of the region to the benefit of the Tuareg…

Cheikh also commented [fr] on this article:

De grâce vous les autorités maliennes faites quelque chose. Cette situation est insupportable. Capitaine Sanogo prends de la hauteur la question à traiter est au nord, ces jeunes ont besoin de leur armée. Frères touaregs du MNLA, faites votre bilan. Est ce que réellement vous avez libérer les peuples du Gao, de Kidal de Tombouctou?.

Thanks to the Malian authorities for doing something. This situation is intolerable. Captain Sanogo sees that, in the big picture, the question at hand is in the north, those young people need their army. Tuareg brothers of the MNLA, assess the situation. Have you really liberated the people of Gao, of Kidal, and of Timbuktu?

The following video shows the impact of Sharia law on Northern Mali [fr]:

An article on Maliweb.net also elicited [fr] many comments, including those of Yamoussa, who wrote [fr]:

Quelle honte !quelle honte !!mais quelle honte!! Qu’attendent les maliens qui étaient sortis nombreux pour débarquer le G.M.T [le Général Moussa Traoré] en 1991 sortir et marcher sur Kati et empecher les militaires de  monopoliser la Télé malienne.  La premiere des choses importantes pour un miltaire c’est la sauvegarde de l’intégrité territoriale de son pays ensuite le protection des personnes et leurs biens ! Mais où sont nos militaires dans le Nord ? Mais où sont-ils ? Ces braves soldats à Bamako à la recherche du pouvoir! ! Vous faites honte aux Maliens !

What a shame, what a shame, what a shame!  Many Malians came out in 1991 to get rid of G.M.T. [General Moussa Traoré], so what are they waiting for? Why don't they march on Kati, and stop the military from monopolizing Malian TV?  The first priority of a military is to safeguard the territorial integrity of its country, and next, to protect the people and their property! But where are our troops in the north?  Where are they? Brave soldiers in Bamako, looking for power, you are a disgrace to Malians!

Hogon Malien wrote angrily [fr]:

De toutes les façons, on se rends compte que Bamako s’en fout du Nord. Nous prendrons notre destin en main. C’est la triste réalité. J’ai l’impression que nous ne connaissons plus notre priorité. Les populations de la région de Mopti vont se joindre au Nord pour lutter contre le MNLA, et les terroristes, et ensuite on prendra notre indépendance vis à vis de Bamako.Trop c’est trop.Tenez bon, la libération en proche. A bon entendeur

Anyway, we have realized that Bamako does not care at all about the North. Our destiny is in our own hands. That is the sad reality. It seems to me that we no longer understand our own priorities. The people of the Mopti region are going to join with the North, to fight against the MNLA and the terrorists, and then, we will win our independence from Bamako. Enough is enough. Hold on, liberation is coming soon. You have been warned.

Another article, by Adam Thiam of www.malijet.com, prompted several readers to express their feelings [fr] on the situation in Mali, including Oumou Dilli, who commented [fr]:

Merci les enfants pour le drapeau VERT JAUNE ROUGE, merci pour ces cris de Vive le Mali!
Vous obtiendrez votre liberté par vous-même car le pire ennemi du Mali fait diversion a Bamako, bloque l'entrée DES troupes de l'union, arrête les citoyen, empoisonne ORTM et radios libres! … SANOGO, il est plus toxique que MNLA et Aqmi …

Thank you, young people, for the GREEN YELLOW and RED flag, thank you for these shouts of ‘Long Live Mali’!
You will win your freedom by yourselves, since the worst enemy of Mali is preoccupied in Bamako, blocking the entry of union troops, arresting citizens, poisoning ORTM and the free radio stations! … SANOGO is more toxic than the MNLA and the AQMI…

Meanwhile, an Azawadian reader did not conceal his feelings in favor of independence [fr] for northern Mali:

Mr Thiam, ne nous parlez pas de la nation malienne qui n'a jamais existé. Pour que l'Etat existe il faut un minimum qui est la volonté de vivre ensemble. Avant l'indépendance formelle du Mali les autochtones de l'Azawad ont demandé à la France de ne pas les inclure dans le Soudan français. Depuis 1963 à nos jours des soulevements ont vu le jour dans le nord pour s'insurger contre le pouvoir incapable de Bamako.

Vous parlez des jeunes de Gao et de leur révolte, ils sont insignifiants, leurs ainés les gandakoy et les ganda iso ont été laminés en une journée par un groupe armé venu d'un seul campement Daoussahak , dans les environs d'Ansongo. Personne au Nord ne voulait plus du désordre de l'Etat voyou du Mali.

Mr Thiam, we are not speaking about a Malian nation, which has never existed. The minimum requirement for a State to exist is the willingness to live together. Before the formal independence of Mali, the indigenous people of the Azawad demanded that France not include them in French Sudan. From 1963 to the present, there have been uprisings in the north to revolt against the ineffectual power of Bamako.
You talk about the young people of Gao and their revolt, but they are insignificant. Their elders, the Ganda Koy and the Ganda Iso, were wiped out in one day, by an armed group which came from a single Daoussahak camp, near Ansongo. Nobody in the North wants the mess of this rogue state of Mali anymore.

The site bamanet.net published a statement [fr] by the Collectif des Ressortissants du Nord, COREN, expressing their concern about the deteriorating economic, social, and security situation in the Northern region.

In an interview [fr] published on the site malijet.com, Moctar Mariko, president of the Malian Association of Human Rights, expressed his concern about ongoing political instability:

La classe politique doit oublier les postes juteux et faire face au problème du Nord. Qu’est-ce qui empêche les rebelles de venir aujourd’hui à Bamako? Je pense qu’on doit avoir le même objectif. Je suis un peu désolé parce que je ne pensais pas que le Mali pouvait atteindre cette phase dans la crise. Au début, je pensais que ça allait être passager, mais ce que je constate ne me donne pas beaucoup de confiance.

The political class needs to forget about their cushy positions, and face the problem of the North. What prevents the rebels from coming to Bamako right now? I think that we all need to have the same objective. I am somewhat distressed, because I had not thought that Mali could reach this stage of crisis. At first, I had thought it would be temporary, but what I see now does not give me much confidence.

Indeed, considering the confusion that reigns in the Malian army, one wonders how it could resist, if the Islamists decided to conquer the whole country.

This post was sub-edited by Jane Ellis.

Mauritania: Al Qaeda Execution Stirs Debate

Mohamed ElGohary — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:37:21 +0000

A YouTube video posted [ar] on the Mauritanian Al Akhbar website on May 12 has angered Mauritanians. The video shows a 40-year-old Mauritanian man being interrogated by members of Al Qaeda, who accuse him of espionage. He was later executed [not shown on the video] after confessing to working with Mauritanian intelligence.

The man names several leaders in the military and intelligence whom he dealt with, and claims that they were supervising his work. He also mentions that General Mohammed Ould Makt, director of the research and documentation section (foreign investigation), was the officer who recruited him.

Alegcom blog published a detailed report about the execution of the Mauritanian man by Al Qaeda, and the history of his work with Mauritanian intelligence and Al Qaeda. In addition, it demanded [ar] an investigation be opened into the case:

مستمرون في تجنيد شبان موريتانيين وتقديمهم قرابين لشيطان الأوهام بشمال مالي… حتي الآن ذبح 9 وهنالك العشرات يدفعون دفعا في اتجاه الموت المحقق مقابل دريهمات زهيدة تدفعهم الفاقة لاقتناصها ويكونون الضحية الأقل حظا فيها ويتم تجاهل أسرهم من بعدهم أويقدم لهم شىء على أنه هدايا وهبات وهولايساوى شعرة فى مفرغ الرأس… ولأن الموضوع حيوي ويتعلق بحياة الناس وبأمن البلاد وبقضايا لا يمكن السكوت عليها فإن التحقيق في ملابساته يكون أضعف الإيمان.

We are continuing to recruit young Mauritanians and offer them as sacrifices to the devil of illusion in northern Mali [where Mauritania is fighting Al Qaeda]. Up to now nine have been slaughtered, and there are dozens being pushed in the direction of certain death, in return for a few dirhams that poverty drives them to seize. They become unfortunate victims, and their families are ignored or given insignificant compensation like it was a gift. Because this is a vital subject related to people's lives and national security, along with issues that can not be ignored, the least we should do is open an investigation.

Al Kaashif blog wrote [ar] about the case:

أم الفضائح اليوم هي قصة ذالك العميل المسكين الذي آمن ذات يوم أن له وطن يفديه بروحه فأرتمى في أحضان الجنرال محمد ولد مكت، الذي أحاله إلى الرائد أحبيبي ولد الدلول، قام العميل بعدة أنشطة في خدمة موريتانيا وقدم عدة معلومات هامة قبل اكتشافه من قبل القاعدة التي صورت فيديو التحقيق معه آخذة تفاصيل الخدمات التي قدمها لبلد دون مقابل الحماية المتوجبة على المسؤولين عنه قبل أن تعمد إلى قتله حسب الأخبار.

The biggest scandal today is the story of this poor agent who one day believed he had a homeland worth sacrificing himself for, diving into the embrace of General Mohammed Ould Makt, who sent him to Major Ahabibi Ould Al Dalool. The agent undertook several activities in the service of Mauritania, and sent some important intel before being detected by Al Qaeda, who filmed their interrogation of him, and acquired the details of all the services he had undertaken for the country without his officials' protection, before killing him, according to Al Akhbar.

Activist Mohamed Abdo commented:

@medabdou الإستخبارات الموريتانية تتلاعب بالعملاء الصغار، ارواحهم على المحك وأجورهم ضئيلة وبعد الوفاة يتنكرون لهم

The Mauritanian intelligence are playing with junior agents. Their lives are on the line, with low wages, and they are betrayed after death.

He added:

@medabdou قادة الإستخبارات هم من ضمن ألئك الجنرالات أصحاب الكروش الذين لا يفيدون إلا ف “تزواز اللقمة” قوم يحكمون بفكر حجري وعقلية متسلطة ونفسية مريضة

Intelligence heads are those generals with big bellies who are only good at embezzling; they rule with stone-age thinking, a domineering mentality, and sick personality.

Activist Mohamed Ould Jedou wrote:

@mohdjedou يدعوهم القائد المصاب بالتخمه وهم ينثنون على انفسهم من الجوع ويقول لهم الوطن بحاجتكم يموتون لتكون جماجمهم نياشين تزين صدره. اي ظلم هذا

The satiated leader calls on those who are starving and tells them the country needs them, and they die so their skulls become decorations adorning his chest. What is this injustice?

In his turn activist Ahmed Ould Abdallah tweeted a great deal about this case, and wrote:

@ahmedbah لقد قتلت القاعدة أبنائنا، وجنرالاتنا لاهون مع عاهراتهم، ولياليهم الحمراء

Al Qaeda killed our sons, and our generals are spending their nights playing with their whores.

He added:

@ahmedbah مسكين ذالك العميل، المواطن الذي قتل على الحدود بعد التحقيق معه تحت فوهات البنادق وكشف للقاعدة الحقيقة كلها. ‎‫#عميل‬‏-مسكين

That poor agent, a citizen who was killed on the border after being interrogated facing the barrel of a gun, and revealing the whole truth to Al Qaeda.

Ahmed Ould Abdallah also criticized Mauritania entering this war for the benefit of former French president Sarkozy:

@ahmedbah ولأن ساركوزي لا يستطيع أن يغامر بأرواح عملائه، تذكر أن له دين عند الجنرال عزيز فقدمه لحرب لا ناقة لنا فيها ولا جمل..!

And because Sarkozy could not risk his own agents' lives, he remembered that General Aziz [president of Mauritania] owed him, and gave him a war that Mauritania has nothing to do with.

Mali: Interim President Injured as Protesters Enter Presidential Palace

Lova Rakotomalala — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:06:59 +0000

Malijet reports that Interim President Dioncounda Traoré was hurt [fr] during protests [fr] that asked for his removal and caused three casualties.

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

Lova Rakotomalala — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:00:32 +0000

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 of the caretaker president comes to an end.

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

Greg Ahlswede — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:36:06 +0000

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 those preparing for the Baccalaureat to avoid losing a whole year.”

Mali: 22 killed as Fighting Continues between Military Junta and Loyalists

Lova Rakotomalala — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:51:31 +0000

In Bamako, Bruce Whitehouse's time-stamped diary reveals heavy gun fights between the military junta and loyalist soldiers on May 2. Reports confirm that administrative buildings were being evacuated because of the shooting. 22 were killed and a dozen injured (fr) (mostly soldiers but a few civilians as well) since the fighting started two days ago.

Africa: Calls for Transparency Over Marked Increase in Land Deals

Lova Rakotomalala — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:25:59 +0000

An international coalition of researchers and NGOs have released the world's largest public database of international land deals, reports the Global Development blog of The Guardian's (UK). This marks an important milestone in highlighting a developmental issue that has received little attention in the international news cycle.

The report states that almost 5% of Africa's agricultural land has been bought or leased by investors since 2000, and emphasizes the fact that this is not a new issue, yet points out that the number of such land deals has increased tremendously in the past five years.

Many observers are increasingly worried that these land deals usually take place in the world's poorest countries and that they impact its most vulnerable population, the farmers. The benefits seldom go to the general population, partially because of a lack of transparency in the proceedings of the transactions.

An additional report by Global Witness, entitled Dealing with Disclosure, emphasizes the dire need for transparency in the making of land deals.

World's poorest nations targeted

The Global Witness report lists that 754 land deals have been identified, involving the majority of African countries for about 56.2 million hectares.

Target countries of land deals from the Land Matrix Project

The nations targeted are usually some of the poorest in the world. The countries with the most deals in place are Mozambique (92 deals), Ethiopia (83), Tanzania (58) and Madagascar (39). Some of those deals have made headlines because they were conducted to ensure control over food imports, when the targeted regions faced major food crises.

The NGO GRAIN has already explained in detail the gist of their concerns in an extensive report released in 2008:

Today’s food and financial crises have, in tandem, triggered a new global land grab. On the one hand, “food insecure” governments that rely on imports to feed their people are snatching up vast areas of farmland abroad for their own offshore food production. On the other hand, food corporations and private investors, hungry for profits in the midst of the deepening financial crisis, see investment in foreign farmland as an important new source of revenue. As a result, fertile agricultural land is becoming increasingly privatised and concentrated. If left unchecked, this global land grab could spell the end of small-scale farming, and rural livelihoods, in numerous places around the world.

In Malawi, land deals have grown increasingly prevalent to the detriment of the local farmers. A report from Bangula explains the challenges faced by Malawian farmers, Dorothy Dyton and her family:

Like most smallholder farmers in Malawi, they did not have a title deed for the land Dyton was born on, and in 2009 she and about 2,000 other subsistence farmers from the area were informed by their local chief that the land had been sold and they could no longer cultivate there. […] Since that time, said Dyton, “life has been very hard on us.” With a game reserve on one side of the community and the Shire river and Mozambique border on the other, there is no other available land for them to farm and the family now ekes out a living selling firewood they gather from the nearby forest.

Land construction in Madagascar. Photo by Foko Madagascar, used with the author's authorization

Farmers in Madagascar share similar concerns because they do not own the rights to the land they farm and an effective land reform is yet to be implemented. The Malagasy association Terres Malgaches has been at the forefront of land protection for the local population. They report that [fr]:

Les familles malgaches ne possèdent pas de document foncier pour sécuriser leurs terres contre les accaparements de toutes sortes. En effet, depuis la colonisation, l’obtention de titres fonciers auprès de l’un des 33 services des domaines d’un pays de 589 000 km2 nécessite 24 étapes, 6 ans en moyenne et jusqu’à 500 dollars US. (..) . Face aux convoitises et accaparements dont les terres malgaches font l’objet actuellement, seule la possession d’un titre ou d’un certificat foncier, seuls documents juridiques reconnus, permet d’entreprendre des actions en justice en cas de conflit.

Malagasy families do not usually own an estate property document that enable them to secure their lands against land grab. In fact, since colonial times, one has needed about 24 steps, 6 years and up to 500 US dollars to get such documents. There are merely around 33 agencies in the country that deliver such documents for a country that is 589,000 kilometres square […] In the face of the increasing land grabs that Malagasy land is currently at risk of, this certificate is the only document that can trigger legal action in case of conflict.

The association also reports on the practices of a mining company Sheritt, in Ambatovy, which have created a buzz in the local blogosphere because of environmental concerns for the local population and business malpractices (via MiningWatch Canada):

Sherritt International’s Ambatovy project in eastern Madagascar – costing $5.5 billion to build and scheduled to begin full production this month – will comprise a number of open pit mines (..) it will close in 29 years. There are already many concerns about the mine from the thousands of local people near the facilities. They say that their fields are destroyed ; the water is dirty ; the fish in the river are dead and there have been landslides near their village. During testing of the new plant, there have been at least four separate leaks of sulphur dioxide from the hydro-metallurgical facility which villagers say have killed at least two adults and two babies and sickened at least 50 more people. In January, laid-off construction workers from Ambatovy began a wildcat strike, arguing that the jobs they were promised when construction ended have not materialized. The people in nearby cities like Moramanga say that their daughters are increasingly engaged in prostitution.

Video of a worker's testimony in Ambatovy.

Solutions for the local population?

The plight of Madagascar's farmers' plight may be slowly changing though. Land reform discussions are in progress, according to this report:

According to a paper presented at the 2011 International Conference on Global Land Grabbing, about 50 agribusiness projects were announced between 2005 and 2010, about 30 of which are still active, covering a total land area of about 150,000 ha. Projects include plantations to produce sugar cane, cassava and jatropha-based biofuel.
To prevent the negative impacts of land grabbing, (The NGO) EFA has set up social models for investors, with funding from the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The goal is to help investors negotiate with the people in the area where they want to implement projects, as a way to prevent future problems.

Joachim Von Braun, formerly of the International Food Policy Insitute (IFPRI), wrote the following regarding land deals:

It is in the long-run interest of investors, host governments, and the local people involved to ensure that these arrangements are properly negotiated, practices are sustainable, and benefits are shared. Because of the transnational nature of such arrangements, no single institutional mechanism will ensure this outcome. Rather, a combination of international law, government policies, and the involvement of civil society, the media, and local communities is needed to minimize the threats and realize the benefits.

The need for transparency in land deals is further emphasized by Megan MacInnes, Senior Land Campaigner at Global Witness:

Far too many people are being kept in the dark about massive land deals that could destroy their homes and livelihoods. That this needs to change is well understood, but how to change it is not. For the first time, this report (Dealing with Disclosure) sets out in detail what tools governments, companies and citizens can harness to remove the shroud of secrecy that surrounds land acquisition. It takes lessons from efforts to improve transparency in other sectors and looks at what is likely to work for land. Companies should have to prove they are doing no harm, rather than communities with little information or power having to prove that a land deal is negatively affecting them.

Mali: New Interim PM and Microsoft Corp's Chairman for Africa C. Diarra's Thoughts on Crisis

Lova Rakotomalala — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:46:47 +0000

As Mali names Microsoft Africa chief Cheick Modibo Diarra as interim prime minister, here are his latest thoughts (fr) on his personal website (also in Bambara) regarding the political crisis in Mali. Meanwhile, the military junta have arrested several members of the former government of ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure.

Mali: Timbuktu, a Cultural Treasure in Peril

Victoria Warren — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:52:29 +0000

The name Timbuktu conjures up a majestic, stately image all over the world. However the war in northern Mali and the presence of small extremist groups constitutes a serious threat to the fate of the town.

In a press release [fr], Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, describes her worry about the risk this fighting poses to Timbuktu's global cultural heritage:

D’après des informations récentes publiées par la presse, les rebelles ont pénétré dans le site et des tirs y ont été entendus. Le Mali compte trois autres sites du patrimoine en plus de Tombouctou : les Villes anciennes de Djenné, les Falaises de Bandiagara (pays dogon) et le Tombeau des Askia.

According to recent press information, rebels have penetrated the city and shots have been heard. Mali has three other heritage sites in addition to Timbuktu: the old towns of Djenné, the Cliff of Bandiagara (Dogon region) and the Tomb of Askia.

Sankore Mosque in Timbuktu. Image from Wikipedua, License Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the city of Timbuktu was a centre for culture and propagation of the Muslim faith, which reached far beyond Mali's borders. There were universities where scholars would come to teach about the Muslim world.

There are still three Grand Mosques: Sidi Yahia, Djingareyber and Sankoré, which date back to its golden age, but are threatened by the advancing sand. In these buildings especially there is a large number of books.

However, the fear is that, with people fleeing to neighbouring countries or other regions within Mali in a bid to avoid recent fighting, humanity will lose a priceless treasure for ever. Christelle Marot, a Casablanca journalist and blogger on the riches of Timbuktu's written documents, states [fr] on africultures.com:

Ces 25 000 manuscrits ne seraient que le sommet de l'iceberg. On estime à près de 100 000 le nombre d'écrits aux mains des familles de Tombouctou, sans compter les collections privées détenues par les habitants des régions de Kidal, Gao, Ségou ou Kayes, qui pourrait conduire au chiffre édifiant de 700 000, voire un million pour le Mali et la sous-région. Certains ouvrages, soustraits aux regards et aux pillages des étrangers durant la colonisation, seraient encore enfouis sous le sable.

These 25,000 manuscripts are thought to be just the tip of the iceberg. It is estimated that almost 100,000 documents are in the possession of the families of Timbuktu, not counting the private collections owned by residents of the Kidal, Gao, Segou or Kayes regions. There could be 700,000 or even a million documents in Mali and its sub-regions. Some works, protected from view and from looting by strangers during colonisation, are thought to still be buried beneath the sand.

During an exhibition organised by Timbuktu's Fondo Kati library to promote the renaissance of Hispano-Muslim culture and to help raise awareness of the shared heritage and strong links, which previously united Spanish towns and regions such as Andalusia and Toldeo with the Niger Bend, journalist Salimata Diouara wrote [fr]:

Selon M. HAÏDARA, l'explorateur Mahmoud Kati a laissé derrière lui plusieurs milliers de manuscrits, écrits en arabe, en hébreu et en espagnol, actuellement conservés dans la bibliothèque familiale Fondo Kati de Tombouctou. Cette bibliothèque a été créée par Mahmoud Kati, fils d'Ali Ben ZIYAD et de Kadidia SYLLA qui est la grande sœur de l'empereur Askia Mohamed. Elle comprend 14.000 manuscrits dont 7.000 sont déjà répertoriés.

According to M. Haidara, explorer Mahmoud Kati left behind him many thousands of manuscripts written in Arabic, Hebrew and Spanish, which are currently kept in the Fondo Kati in Timbuktu. This library was founded by Mahmoud Kati, son of Ali Ben Ziyad and Kadidia Sylla, the elder sister of the Emperor Askia Mohamed. It contains some 14,000 manuscripts, 7,000 of which are already indexed.

According to the website tombouctoumanuscripts.org, South Africa financed the construction of Nouvel Institut Ahmed Baba [fr] at a cost of 2.5 billion CFA Francs (381,000 euro). The Institute's premises measure 4,800 m² and include a 500-seat ampitheatre, a 300-seat conference room and a library:

possède actuellement une collection d’environ 30000 manuscrits collectés grâce aux efforts de quelques personnalités exceptionnelles telles que le Dr Mahmoud Zubayr, premier directeur du centre, et Abdul Kader Haidara qui a travaillé pour CEDRAB avant d’établir sa bibliothèque personnelle. Ce chiffre de 30000 manuscrits est encore quelque peu conservateur si l’on considère le nombre estimé de manuscrits existant dans la région.

[This centre] currently houses a collection of around 30,000 manuscripts collected thanks to the efforts of a few exceptional individuals such as Dr Mahmoud Zubayr, the centre's first director, and Abdul Kader Haidara who worked for CEDRAB before founding his personal library. The figure of 30,000 manuscripts is still somewhat conservative considering the number of manuscripts thought to exist in the region.

Christelle Marot also reminds us [fr] in her post on Africultures mentioned above:

l'Arabie Saoudite et le Koweït ont donné près de 45 millions de francs CFA [Euros 68 602]au centre Ahmed Baba, outre les actions déjà menées par l'Unesco, la Norvège et le Luxembourg. Pour les privés, ce sont des fondations qui interviennent largement….

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have given almost 45 million CFA Francs [68,602 euro] to the Ahmed Baba centre, in addition to actions already taken by Unesco, Norway and Luxembourg. For those who are deprived, these are the foundations that are deeply involved….

The black flag of Islamist fundamentalists flies over Timbuktu by Boubacar Bah on Twitter

What will become of this treasure? After the city of Timbuktu was dramatically taken by Toureg rebels and then the Islamist groups of Ansar Dine and Al-Qaïda in the Maghreb (Aqmi), many are experiencing anxiety over the answer to this question.

In a post entitled “Après les Bouddhas de Bamyan, les manuscrits de Tombouctou?” (After the Buddhas of Bamiyan, the manuscripts of Timbuktu?) [fr], Hervé Bar quotes Hamady Bocoum, director of the African Institute of Basic Research (Ifan) in Dakar:

Des manuscrits uniques (près de 100.000) sont conservés depuis plusieurs siècles à Tombouctou, ville savante, ville des 333 saints, où pratiquement chaque concession est un patrimoine, une bibliothèque “Possession des grandes lignées de la ville, ces manuscrits, les plus anciens remontant au XIIe siècle, sont conservés comme des trésors de famille dans le secret des maisons, des bibliothèques privées, sous la surveillance des anciens et d'érudits religieux.Ils sont pour la plupart écrits en arabe ou en peul, par des savants originaires de l'ancien empire du Mali. Ces textes parlent d'islam, mais aussi d'histoire, d'astronomie, de musique, de botanique, de généalogie, d'anatomie…Autant de domaines généralement méprisés, voire considérés comme “impies” par Al-Qaïda et ses affidés jihadistes. L'exemple funeste des Bouddhas de Bamyan, dans le centre de l'Afghanistan, vient immédiatement à l'esprit.

Unique manuscripts (numbering almost 100,000) have been conserved for centuries in Timbuktu, a city of scholars, of 333 saints, where practically every concession is a heritage, a library for “Possession of the city's descendants, these manuscripts, the oldest of which date back to the 12th century, are conserved as secret family treasures in houses, private libraries, under the supervision of elders and religious scholars. They are mainly written in Arabic or Fulani, by scholars from the ancient empire of Mali. These texts are about Islam, but also history, astronomy, music, botany, genealogy, anatomy and so on. So many areas that are generally regarded with contempt, or considered “unholy” by Al-Qaida and its jihadist accomplices. The fateful example of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, in central Afghanistan, immediately comes to mind.

Guy Alain Bembelly [fr] reminds us that this city has been listed as a world heritage site since 1988:

Tombouctou est un vrai grenier du savoir didactique dans les domaines de l’astronomie, de la musique, de la botanique, de l’histoire (sur l’histoire du Soudan au xve siècle). Le centre de documentation et de recherches Ahmed-Baba (Cedrab), fondé en 1970 avec l’aide de l’UNESCO, recueille certains de ces manuscrits pour les restaurer et les numériser. Ce trésor culturel est à préserver. Il faut y aller…

Timbuktu is a real treasure trove of didactic knowledge of astronomy, music, botany, history (the history of Sudan in the 15th century). The centre de documentation et de recherches Ahmed-Baba (Cedrab), established in 1970 with the help of UNESCO, has taken some of these manuscripts to restore and digitise them. This cultural treasure must be preserved. We must get to work…

In his post, Bembelly quotes [fr] several phrases attributed to intellectuals who lived in Timbuktu, including Ahmed Baba (1556-1627), whose words are displayed at the centre named after him:

Ô toi qui vas à Gao fais un détour par Tombouctou. Murmure mon nom à mes amis et porte-leur le salut parfumé de l’exilé qui soupire après le sol où résident sa famille, ses amis, ses voisins.

Oh you who travels to Gao, take a detour to Timbuktu. Murmur my name to my friends and give them the perfumed greeting from the exile who sighs after the sun where his family, his friends, his neighbours live.

Unfortunately the turn of events leaves no room for doubt that the worst case scenario from a military standpoint seems to be happening. In fact, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (NMLA), which declared its secularity and its desire to find a certain respectability, seems to be giving way to other more extremist movements.

Moussa Haïdara, a cameraman who filmed the arrival of the convoy of Ansar Dine fundamentalists in the city under the supervision of Tuareg Iyad Ag Ghaly, quoted in a post published on the website slateafrique.com, stated [fr]:

Ils sont venus avec cinquante véhicules. Ils ont pris la ville, chassé les gens du MNLA et brûlé leur drapeau, pour mettre à la place le leur sur le camp militaire de la ville.

They came with 50 vehicles. They captured the city, chased the people of the NMLA out and burned their flag, replacing it with their own at the town's military camp.

Africa: Southern Africa Needs an ECOWAS

Ndesanjo Macha — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:22:30 +0000

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 of Zimbabwe lost an election to Morgan Tsvangirai and the subsequent runoff was marred by horrendous violence, SADC did not make a firm decision to respect the people’s choice.”

Mali: Silence of the Local Blogosphere

Jane Ellis — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:56:35 +0000

As the people of Mali were preparing for elections, they were caught unawares by a military coup on March 21, 2012, and the threat of partition of north Mali. At the time of the coup the principal candidates were readying their Twitter and Google+ accounts along with their Facebook pages, while citizens were updating their blogs and honing their tweets.

While news from the north, cut off and deprived of electricity, comes through sparingly, in the South, the internet allows mobilisation.

Parabolic Dish in Mali via @Mbokoniko on twitter

The ‘Collectif des Ressortissants du Nord' (The Northern Citizens' Collective) or COREN has 303 members of its Facebook group at the time of writing. For the last few weeks, COREN have mobilised the people of Mali throughout the entire territory, with the page notably being used to announce upcoming events as well as to demonstrate solidarity as shown in the following status update from group member Oumar Maigar:

Mettez le drapeau du Mali sur votre profil pour soutenir son unicité

Use the Mali flag as your profile picture to support unity

While the internet is inundated with blogs, tweets and videos from other countries, Malian internet users remain silent. The capital, Bamako, is still affected by serious power cuts as the fuel required for power stations runs out. Under these circumstances, the priority is not sending messages, but finding information about the new leaders of the north.

The website of the Tuareg run National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, known as the MNLA, has been offline for a week. (Note: As of 10/04/2012 the site is once more accessible). Nevertheless the movement continues to post videos on its youtube account, Azawad17janv2012 [fr]. The MNLA chose to make its declaration of independence on French TV channel France 24. The declaration shocked Malians who spread anger and mocking remarks on the internet, like the following on Twitter:

“@Skante2: Propagande du MNLA, les médias devraient alors inviter tous les séparatistes du monde sur leur plateau. On verra l'embouteillage.”

MNLA propaganda, the media should in that case invite all the separatists of the world to their TV channels. There would be a traffic jam.

But what stole the show were images from the Islamist movement Ansar Dine which has taken the city of Timbuktu. The images taken by AFP-Télé have so far reached 7,200 views and have been widely discussed in the streets of Bamako. [fr]

While chaos reigns over the situation in North Mali, some people have nevertheless managed to find a way to profit from it, as shown by this tweet from user @flagsonline:

@flagsonline Discounted Azawad Flag, less 20%, voucher code: az125115 Buy now! #azawad #flag #vexillology

Mali : Opinions of a Blogger on the Military Coup

Jane Ellis — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:21:20 +0000

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.

Mali: A War, a Declaration of Independence and Conflicting Objectives

Jenny Sin — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 15:11:33 +0000

Things have been moving rapidly in the civil war that is tearing Mali apart. On Friday, April 6, 2012, Tuareg rebels of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) proclaimed [fr] the “Independence of Azawad” [fr]. In this crisis that threatens to sweep across the entire Sahel region, several actors with conflicting objectives are playing a dominant role.

In a post published on camer.be, Valère MBEG presents the issues [fr] behind this war:

Le Mali est un vaste pays de 1.241.238 km² et une population galopante de 15.000.000 d’habitants selon le recensement de 2009, la région de l’AZAWAD couvre les 2/3 de la superficie pour une population ne représentant que 10 % des habitants avec d’énormes richesses naturelles qui sont actuellement peu exploitées en raison de l’absence de financement en infrastructures de transports qui renchérissent le coût des exploitations. Le Mali est également le troisième producteur africain d’or après l’Afrique du Sud et le Ghana, de quoi aiguiser les appétits des multinationales qui verraient bien dans l’AZAWAD un nouveau Sud Soudan avec peu de populations pour beaucoup de richesses naturelles ….

Mali is a vast country of 1,241,238 km² with a growing population of 15,000,000, according to the 2009 census. The AZAWAD region covers two-thirds of the area and has a population representing only 10% of people and also enormous natural resources which are currently underexploited due to a lack of funding for transport infrastructure which increase the cost of operations. Mali is also the third largest African producer of gold after South Africa and Ghana—something to whet the appetites of many multinationals that could easily see AZAWAD as a new South Sudan with a small population and vast natural resources….

Territory claimed by the MNLA by @twitafrika on twitpic

Sabine Cessou wrote [fr] about the military situation on Slate afrique:

La donne est complexe dans le désert: les rebelles touaregs du MLNA disent ne pas poursuivre les mêmes objectifs qu’Aqmi. Ils ne se battent pas pour une République islamique de l’Azawad, mais pour la création d’un État laïc.

The issue is complex in the desert: Tuareg rebels of MLNA say they do not pursue the same objectives as AQIM. They are not fighting for an Islamic Republic of Azawad, but for the creation of a secular state.

In a posting on malijet.com, Nouhoum DICKO reviews the situation and introduces the actors [fr] on the ground:

Le mouvement islamiste Ansar dine, (l'Armée de la religion), est l'un des autres groupes armés de la région dirigé par Iyad Ag Ghaly, principal artisan de la prise de Kidal, dont il est originaire. Celui qui fut le principal chef de la rébellion touareg des années 1990, aurait subi l'influence des islamistes pakistanais. Ansar dine serait composé de jeunes radicalisés au contact d'Al-Qaïda au Maghreb islamique (Aqmi).

Un nouveau groupe islamiste a fait irruption en décembre 2011, le Mouvement pour l'unicité et le jihad en Afrique de l'Ouest (Mujao). Se présentant comme une dissidence d'Aqmi, il serait dirigé par des activistes maliens et mauritaniens. Il avait revendiqué l'enlèvement des trois humanitaires européens dans un camp de réfugiés sahraouis. Ce groupe revendique sa participation à la prise de Gao, le samedi dernier.

The Islamist movement Ansar Dine, (The Religion Army), is one of the region's other armed groups, led by Iyad Ag Ghaly, main architect of the capture of Kidal, his home district. This man, the principal leader of the Tuareg rebellion of the 1990s, would have been influenced by Pakistani Islamists. Ansar dine would be made up of of radicalized young people who have come into contact with Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

A new Islamist group, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Afrida (Mujao), sprang up in December 2011. Describing itself as a breakaway faction of AQIM, it would be run by Malian and Mauritanian activists. It had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of three European humanitarian workers in a Sahrawi refugee camp. The group also claims to have participated in the capture of Gao last Saturday.

The blue men of the desert by Aysha Bibiana Balboa on Flickr ( License CC-NC-BY)

The leaders of Ansar Dine wasted no time in displaying their true colours. Indeed, maliactu.net reports [fr] that:

Le leader d’Ansar Dine, Iyad Ag Ghaly, ex-figure des rébellions touareg des années 1990, a rencontré lundi soir les imams de Tombouctou, une ville d’environ 30.000 habitants où il compte instaurer la loi islamique, selon un fonctionnaire de l’agglomération. A la faveur de l’avancée foudroyante des rebelles touareg dans le nord du Mali, le groupe Ansar Dine et des éléments d’Al-Qaïda au Maghreb (Aqmi) ont pris lundi le contrôle de Tombouctou, aux portes du Sahara, à environ 800 km au nord-est de la capitale Bamako. Tombouctou, grand centre intellectuel de l’islam et ancienne cité marchande prospère des caravanes, surnommée “la perle du désert”, est inscrite sur la liste du patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco.

On Monday night, the leader of Ansar Dine, Iyad Ag Ghaly, former figure of the Tuareg rebellion of the 1990s, met the imams of Timbuktu, a city of about 30,000 inhabitants, where he plans to introduce Islamic law, according to an official of the city. On Monday, through the lightning advance of the Tuareg rebels in northern Mali, the Ansar Dine group and Al-Qaeda elements in the Maghreb (AQIM) took control of Timbuktu, the gateway to the Sahara, about 800 km northeast of the capital Bamako. Timbuktu, a leading intellectual centre of Islam and ancient commercial city which prospers from merchant caravans, dubbed “the pearl of the desert”, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Ibrahima Lissa FAYE, in a post entitled “Mali: Tuareg Rebels and Ansar Dine Islamists Each Claim Control of Timbuktu,” wrote [fr] on pressafrik.com:

Le chef du mouvement Ansar Dine, Iyad Ag Ghali, semble en effet contrôler la ville après avoir fait reculer les rebelles touaregs du MNLA qui étaient entrés les premiers dans Tombouctou dimanche. Alors contrairement au MNLA qui ne s'intéresse qu'au nord du Mali, dont il réclame l'indépendance, Iyad Ag Ghali, lui, veut imposer la charia, la loi islamique, à tout le pays et à Tombouctou on signale même la présence de dirigeants d'Aqmi.

The leader of the movement Ansar Dine, Iyad Ag Ghali, indeed appears to have control of the city after having caused the the MNLA Tuareg rebels who first entered Timbuktu on Sunday to retreat. So, unlike the MNLA who are interested only in northern Mali, where it calls for independence, Iyad Ag Ghali, himself, wants to impose Islamic Sharia law in the country and in Timbuktu, where there is even a presence of AQIM leaders.

There are major concerns among Malians regarding the respect for human rights. Rape and looting are reported in several towns under rebel control. According to a post on afriquinfos.com, at a special general meeting held in Bamako, Malick Alhousseini, president of the Collective of Residents of Northern Mali (COREN) said [fr] that:

cette rencontre se tient à un “moment douloureux de notre histoire, avec notre pays occupé, notre terroir natal aux mains des envahisseurs et des terroristes”.

Il a rappelé que depuis dimanche dernier, le Mali est un pays coupé en deux, de fait que les assaillants et les terroristes ont tout dévasté dans les localités qu'ils occupent : banques cassées, administration pillée, centres de santé vandalisés, entre autres.

this meeting was held at a “painful moment in our history, with our country occupied, our native lands in the hands of the invaders and terrorists”.

He recalled that since last Sunday, Mali has been a country divided in two, because the assailants and terrorists have destroyed everything in the communities they occupy: banks broken, administrative buildings looted, health facilities vandalized, among others.

The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), indicating that its objectives were achieved, put an end to hostilities for a few days before proclaiming its independence.

But there is proof of the differing objectives of the groups who participated in the fighting: according to atlasinfo.fr (the Algerian consulate in Gao, one of the conquered cities), while the MNLA made these statements, another movement and six of its officials were abducted and taken [fr] to an unknown location:

L’attaque s’est produite en fin de matinée. Un groupe armé a attaqué le consulat. Il a remplacé le drapeau algérien par un drapeau noir avec des écritures arabes, emblématique des mouvements salafistes.

The attack occurred in the late morning. An armed group attacked the consulate. It replaced the Algerian flag with a black flag with Arabic writing, emblematic of the Salafi movement.

Condemning the abduction and all acts of vandalism and attacks against civilians in the liberated towns, the MNLA, in a press release signed by [fr] Bakaye Ag Hamed Ahmed, Communications, Information and Media Relay Officer, made the following statement:

Le Mouvement National de Libération de l’Azawad se désolidarise de toutes les organisations mafieuses s’étant introduite ces jours-ci dans l’Azawad, contribuant à instaurer un climat de chaos et de désordre, après la libération du territoire.

The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad dissociates itself from all mafia organizations that are being introduced in Azawad these days, contributing to a climate of chaos and disorder, after the liberation of the territory.

This imbroglio is complicated by the fact that severe sanctions have been imposed upon Mali by the Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union and the United Nations, following the military coup that overthrew President Amadou Toumani Touré and helped precipitate events.

Beyond Mali, there are all the neighbouring states where Tuareg populations threatened with collapse are found. The demographic structures are identical: a Sahelian area in the north where the Tuaregs and other black minority populations dwell, many of whom are nomadic, and a more hospitable area inhabited by sedentary populations. In all countries, this second area is the one that absorbs the most investment and is inhabited mainly by blacks, causing resentment on the part of the first area's inhabitants, who believe that the distribution of resources is inequitable.

This complex situation is a threatening one for the civilian population, and is further complicated by Boko Haram's [fr] potential to do harm, the flow of arms from the Libyan arsenal [fr], the chronic shortage of water and the risk of famine.

Mali: An Introduction to the Tuareg Population

Abdoulaye Bah — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:06:12 +0000

The blog of the Tuareg movement Temoust Survie publishes a post (via information from l'Express [fr]) that provides [fr] a brief introduction to the Tuareg culture : “we are a nomadic people living from farming and trade. The Tuaregs are estimated to be about 1.5 million in a region that spans across Mali, Niger, Algeria, but also Libya, Burkina Faso and Mauritania. The common language Tamashek is related to the Berber language. With the Ethiopian population, the Tuaregs are one of the few African people with their own calligraphy. The distinguishing features of the Tuareg clothing are the indigo veil they wear hence their nickname “the men in blue”.