Mali: The Enemy of my Enemy

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." -Arabic Proverb

While many have heard the phrase above, I would like to propose a twist on this ancient adage.  "The enemy of my enemy is my friend...for now."  This would certainly seem to be the case in Northern Mali for the last 2 years.  When the MNLA, a secular movement for the independence of the Azawad region, joined forces with the Islamic Ansar Dine and the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, they very quickly accomplished their goal of taking control of the northern half of Mali from their common enemy, the Malian government.  However, once this was accomplished, their goals for progress started to differ.  The MNLA wanted an independent and secular region, while the other two groups wanted to impose Sharia Law on the population and continue their fight to conquering the rest of Mali.  The two Islamic groups managed to wrestle control from the MNLA and kick them out of power.  When the Malian government called on the French to help intervene in the crisis, the MNLA decided to join forces with the French and Malian government against the jihadists.  Despite shifting allegiances, one thing for sure is that Christians have been caught in the middle of the conflict.  With Islamic jihadists sweeping through the north and imposing Sharia Law, Christians in the north were forced to flee.  Even now, the government is still fighting sleeper cells and pockets of resistance in the North. As the country of Mali tries to pull itself back together, what the role of Christians will be is yet to be seen.  Let us pray that as this country moves forward, it will stay a secular state that recognizes the freedom of religion and the right for individuals to chose to follow their own conscience.  May Mali become a place of peace once again, and not enveloped by the fear of Sharia Law.    

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Mali

Basic Info: Mali is located in the interior of Western Africa, southwest of Algeria, north of Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, west of Niger.  The landlocked country is slightly less than twice the size of Texas and is mostly flat to rolling plains covered by sand in the north, savanna in the south, and rugged hills in the northeast. Mali's population is 15,968,882 (July 2013 est), and the population is composed of diverse sub-Saharan ethnic groups, such as: Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5%. French is the official language, but theses languages are spoken as well; Bambara 46.3%, Peul/foulfoulbe 9.4%, Dogon 7.2%, Maraka/soninke 6.4%, Malinke 5.6%, Sonrhai/djerma 5.6%, Minianka 4.3%, Tamacheq 3.5%, Senoufo 2.6%, unspecified 0.6%, other 8.5%.  About 34.9% of the population is urban, and only 33.4% are literate.  Some of the country's main problems are deforestation,  soil erosion, desertification, and inadequate supplies of potable water.  The country also has 12,436 refugees from Mauritania (2012), and 353,455 internally displaced persons from the Tuareg rebellion since 2012.  Mali is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking.  Women and girls are forced into domestic servitude, agricultural labor, and support roles in gold mines, as well as subjected to sex trafficking.   Malian boys are found in conditions of forced labor in agricultural settings, gold mines, and the informal commercial sector, as well as forced begging both within Mali and neighboring countries.  Malians and other Africans who travel through Mali to Mauritania, Algeria, or Libya in hopes of reaching Europe are particularly at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking.  Men and boys, primarily of Songhai ethnicity, are subjected to the longstanding practice of debt bondage in the salt mines of Taoudenni in northern Mali.  Some members of Mali's black Tamachek community are subjected to traditional slavery-related practices, and this involuntary servitude reportedly has extended to their children.  Reports indicate that non-governmental armed groups operating in northern Mali recruited children as combatants, cooks, porters, guards, spies, and sex slaves.  While Mali does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, it is making significant efforts to do so.  Although the government enacted a comprehensive anti-trafficking law in 2012, it did not demonstrate evidence of overall increasing efforts to address human trafficking over the previous year. The government has failed to prosecute or convict any trafficking offenders, has not provided any direct services to victims, and has not made any tangible prevention efforts.  The government continues to cite a lack of personnel and resources as reasons for its inability to adequately identify and rescue child victims of forced labor in the mining industry (2013).  

Government: The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France in 1960 as the Mali Federation. When Senegal withdrew after only a few months, what formerly made up the Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 by a military coup that ushered in a period of democratic rule. The country is a republic with civil law system based on the French civil law model and influenced by customary law.  President Alpha Konare won Mali's first two democratic presidential elections in 1992 and 1997. In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, he stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou Toure, who was elected to a second term in 2007 elections that were widely judged to be free and fair. Malian returnees from Libya in 2011 exacerbated tensions in northern Mali, and Tuareg ethnic militias started a rebellion in January 2012. Low- and mid-level soldiers, frustrated with the poor handling of the rebellion overthrew Toure on March 22nd. Intensive mediation efforts led by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) returned power to a civilian administration in April with the appointment of interim President Dioncounda Traore. The post-coup chaos led to rebels expelling the Malian military from the three northern regions of the country and allowed Islamic militants to set up strongholds. Hundreds of thousands of northern Malians fled the violence to southern Mali and neighboring countries, exacerbating regional food insecurity in host communities. A military intervention to retake the three northern regions began in January 2013 and within a month most of the north had been retaken. In a democratic presidential election conducted in July and August of 2013, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was elected president. 

Economy: Among the 10 poorest countries in the world, Mali is a landlocked country highly dependent on gold mining and agricultural exports for revenue. The country's fiscal status fluctuates with gold and agricultural commodity prices and the harvest. Mali remains dependent on foreign aid. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger River and about 65% of its land area is desert or semidesert. About 10% of the population is nomadic and about 80% of the labor force is engaged in farming and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities. However, about 30% of the people are unemployed and 36.1% are below the poverty line.  The government in 2011 completed an IMF extended credit facility program that has helped the economy grow, diversify, and attract foreign investment. Mali is developing its cotton and iron ore extraction industries to diversify foreign exchange revenue away from gold. Mali has invested in tourism but security issues are hurting the industry. Mali experienced economic growth of about 5% per year between 1996-2010, but the global recession and a military coup caused a decline in output in 2012. The interim government slashed public spending in the context of a declining state of security and declining international aid.  The fixed phone line subscribership remains less than 1 per 100 persons, but mobile-cellular subscribership has increased dramatically to about 70 per 100 persons. They have a  national public TV broadcaster, and 2 privately owned companies provide subscription services to foreign multi-channel TV packages.  However, the national public radio broadcaster is supplemented by a large number of privately owned and community broadcast stations.  Transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available as well (2007).

 Religion: Muslim 94.8%, Christian 2.4%, Animist 2%

The people of this French-speaking country are mainly Muslim, particularly in the north. Despite strong pressure from its Muslim neighbors, Mali remains officially secular. However, Christians still face insults, injustice, kidnapping and death by imprisonment. The government rarely intervenes. Three-quarters of the country is occupied by radicalized Muslim groups whose goal is implementing Shariah law. Most Christian families have fled from the interior to the southeastern border. There are about 60 small churches in the capital, Bamako, and Christians practice their faith there with relatively little interference. Missionaries also work openly in Mali. However, evangelism has decreased in the past few years, and most Christian growth is simply a result of growing Christian families. In the countryside, where social structure is determined by tribal and family ties, converts to Christianity can face severe opposition. Believers report that many families try to poison Christian converts from Islam. VOM provides Bible training to believers and helps them start small businesses so they can provide for themselves. The government was overthrown by a military coup in March 2012, and a Tuareg-led rebellion continues in the north.  Ethnic Tuareg rebels seized control of three main provinces in northern Mali. The National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad (NMLA), which led the rebellion, claims to be secular. However, they have been aided by jihadists fighting specifically for an Islamic state in which Sharia (Islamic law) is enforced. Once the NMLA achieved its goal, its ally, a jihadist faction known as Ansar Dine, seized control, hoisted the black flag of al-Qaeda and announced the imposition of Sharia. Sources say there were four flags flying in Gao province--those of the NMLA, Boko Haram, Ansar Dine and al-Qaeda. The rebellion has resulted in widespread violence. Rapes have been reported and massive destruction and looting have crippled the humanitarian aid sector. In addition, Christian charities and churches have been destroyed. Virtually the entire Christian population of northern Mali has been forced to flee. French and United Nations forces remain stationed in Kidal, and all of northern Mali continues to be a caldron of instability, even though the Malian government in Bamako, nearly 800 miles to the south, is nominally in control.  On November 2nd, two French journalists were kidnapped and murdered in the Kidal region.  It is believed that the $34 million that was paid for the release of four Frenchmen in neighboring Niger by Al Qaeda forces has encouraged the kidnapping of Westerners.

Information compiled from CIAWorldFactBook "Mali"; VOMC "Mali"; Operation World "Mali" 

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 Origins of Mali's Tuareg Conflict


Mali War: Operation Serval (French Documentary with English Subtitles)


Mali: The Scars of Sharia in Gao (March 22, 2013)


Timbuktu:Revenge in the shadows of Northern Mali (Feb 22, 2013)