France: Military intervention in Mali probable

Foreign powers will probably intervene militarily in Mali after Al-Qaeda-linked militants took control of territory in the north of the West African country, France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Thursday. Regional and Western governments have compared the situation in Mali to Afghanistan, as a mix of local and foreign Islamists have hijacked a rebellion initially launched in January by secular Tuareg separatist rebels. “In the north, at one moment or another there will probably be the use of force,” Fabius said, noting that intervention would be African-led but supported by international forces. After chasing the secular MNLA (Azawad National Liberation Movement) rebels from their positions Islamist fighters have consolidated their grip on the territory, now controlling two-thirds of Mali’s desert north including the regions of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu. They have carried out a wave of attacks on ancient Sufi shrines, some of which were classified world heritage sites by UNESCO. The U.N. Security Council on July 5 endorsed West African political efforts to end unrest in Mali but stopped short of backing military intervention in the West African state until precise details were outlined. The French-drafted resolution did not back the military intervention sought, but did not rule it out in future. It also expressed full support for the Economic Union Of West African States (ECOWAS) and African Union’s mediation efforts in Mali. “It’s a serious situation because it is the first time terrorists have taken root in important cities and could be in a situation to implant themselves in an entire country,” Fabius told members of the diplomatic press in Paris. West African leaders are still struggling to get Mali’s squabbling politicians to form a national unity government that would then request U.N. backing for troops from the ECOWAS regional bloc in order to help in the fight against groups occupying the north. “They [Islamists] have a lot of money, heavy weapons, they are ready to die and their main enemy is France,” Fabius said. “You have this risk ... and threat that what is happening in northern Mali can happen in other areas,” he said. “There is a type of franchising of these terrorists in other areas.” Fabius said Paris would not lead a military intervention since its colonial past in the country would complicate matters, but added that the EU and international powers such as the U.S. would be ready to provide support and training if necessary. Al-Qaeda’s North African arm holds six French hostages in the Sahel also complicating France’s role in any future intervention. Fabius said the hostages were still alive, although they had been separated. U.S. President Barack Obama Thursday authorized the use of $10 million in emergency funds for people displaced by the conflict in northern Mali, with the White House adding it was “deeply concerned” with events. The funds will support efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said. Already, almost 230,000 Malian refugees have fled to Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger, while an additional 155,000 Malians are internally displaced, he said in the statement. “The United States is deeply concerned about the situation of the Malian people,” Vietor said. “We call on all parties to support the restoration of democratically elected civilian governance in Mali as soon as possible.” Vietor also called on rebels in northern Mali to renounce any connection with terrorist groups and enter into legitimate political negotiations. “In addition, we urge all parties to ensure neutral, impartial, and unhindered humanitarian access to all populations in northern Mali,” he said. Mali Justice Minister Malick Coulibaly had said Tuesday that Bamako planned to ask the International Criminal Court to investigate killings, rapes, torture and attacks on cultural sites in its rebel-controlled north. Coulibaly did not say when the request would be lodged, but RFI, the French radio station that interviewed him, said a Malian government delegation would go to The Hague-based court to file the request in the coming days. “Given that the north of Mali is not under the control of the legitimate authorities, we think it is right to submit the case to the court in order to avoid impunity,” Coulibaly said. A spokeswoman for the ICC prosecutor’s office was unable to confirm whether it had received a communication from Mali. In April, the ICC said it was considering investigating rapes and killings that had been committed since fighting erupted in Mali’s desert north in January. There is no accurate toll for the fighting, but over 300,000 people have been forced from their homes.