peter tinti

politics, culture and security in west africa

Category: un

April 25, 2013

Peacekeeping force for unsettled Mali gets unanimous UN vote

CS Monitor

Resolution 2100 has French troops replaced by blue helmets and at least half the UN force will be from Africa. Al Qaeda-linked militants are still fighting in Mali’s northern mountains. 

The United Nations Security Council today unanimously approved the creation of a 12,600-strong peacekeeping force for Mali.

The pending arrival of blue helmets to the country is a sign that France, its African allies, and the broader international community are eager for the next phase of an intervention that began in January as a limited air campaign against Islamist rebels, but quickly escalated into a full-scale ground war.

Resolution 2100, proposed by France, calls for a force that would consist of 11,200 troops as well as 1,440 police to stabilize a country rocked by political instability and war over the last year.

Though the French-led intervention initially succeeded in driving the rebels from the towns and cities once under their control, serious questions remain regarding the extent to which northern Mali has actually been secured.

In the wake of several attacks – including suicide bombings – on Mali’s northern cities, both outside analysts and Malians wonder if the Islamist rebels have been defeated.

Click here to continue reading.

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January 15, 2013

How the French got to airstrikes in Mali: A briefing from Bamako

CS Monitor

Five key questions about how Islamic militants took over northern Mali — and why the French are trying to stop them.

BAMAKO, MALI: French airstrikes in Mali last week have jolted the West’s attention. The strikes and more planned deployments by France and other African states, are designed to halt the progress of Islamist rebels in Mali, and deny radicals an Afghan-style haven for jihad against Europe. Journalist Peter Tinti has lived in West Africa for the last three years and arrived in Bamako today. Here’s his first briefer from the capital.

How did this crisis start?

It started when armed groups took over northern Mali – a vast desert expanse roughly the size of Texas – last year. Prominent among the groups are Islamist rebels linked to Al Qaeda who wish to establish a strict and violent version of Islamic law in the region.

Armed conflict and food shortages have driven more than 400,000 people from their home. The rising fear is that the conflict could destabilize the region, creating an ungoverned space and haven to launch terror attacks abroad.

Click here to continue reading.

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January 14, 2013

With French air strikes, has the war to retake northern Mali begun?

CS Monitor

Today’s expansion of the French air campaign beyond central Mali has left many wondering if the war has started – without much international coordination.

DAKAR, SENEGAL: France widened its military intervention in the African nation of Mali today beyond targets in the center of the country, sending fighter jets to the north to hammer training camps, infrastructure, and logistics depots used by Islamist rebels with ties to Al Qaeda.

“The president is totally determined that we must eradicate these terrorists who threaten the security of Mali, our own country, and Europe,” said France’s Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on French television.

The French began air strikes on Friday to counter an ambitious rebel advance southward from their strongholds in the north. While France’s intervention appears to have the tacit support of the international community, the expansion of the French air campaign beyond central Mali has left many analysts wondering if a long-discussed war to retake northern Mali has begun in earnest – without much international coordination or planning.

“That’s the $64 billion question,” says François Heisbourg, special adviser at the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research. “I think all of this has happened so quickly between Thursday and today that the immediate objective of stopping the two [Islamist] columns and preventing the replenishment of the frontline [Islamist] forces has been the beginning and the end all of what the French are trying to do.”

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October 25, 2012

Interview with BBC Newsday

Your humble journalist appeared on BBC Newsday this morning to discuss recent diplomatic developments  and plans for military intervention in northern Mali. The interview was live at 6:30 a.m. and I had been up late the night before for a separate interview, but I think I assembled a few coherent thoughts. You can listen to it here at the 51:00 minute mark.

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October 19, 2012

African Leaders Prepare for Military Intervention in Northern Mali

Voice of America

BAMAKO — High-level delegations from the United Nations, West African bloc ECOWAS, and the African Union met with Malian leaders Friday to develop a coherent strategy for tackling the crisis in northern Mali, where al-Qaida linked militant groups have taken control.

Mali’s interim President Dioncounda Traore urged representatives from ECOWAS, the African Union, European Union, United Nations and other key partners to act immediately in addressing the deteriorating situation in the north.

Traore assured attendees of the total cooperation of the Malian government, and said it would not falter because those present were there as friends, brothers and partners at a time when the pooling of resources is the only response to the security challenges that Mali is facing.

Traore described the situation as a “race against time” against a “common enemy” and said that these challenges represent a risk for the Sahel, for West Africa, for the Sahara, for Africa and for the world.

Click here to continue reading and click here to listen (segment starts around 6:08).

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October 19, 2012

Interview With BBC Global News

I spoke with BBC Global News this morning in advance of  today’s meeting between Malian leaders and  high-level delegations from the United Nations, ECOWAS, and the African Union. The purpose of this  highly-anticipated summit was to develop a coherent strategy for tackling the crisis in Mali. My segment starts at the 3:20 mark. You can listen to it here.

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October 18, 2012

Mali Military Intervention Support Growing

Voice of America

BAMAKO — High-level delegations from the United Nations, West African bloc ECOWAS, and the African and European Unions meet with Malian leaders Friday to hammer out details for proposed military intervention to retake Mali’s north.

In Mali’s capital city of Bamako Men gather every morning at roadside newspaper vendors to debate the headlines, more specifically, what to do about the north dominates discussion.

The territory fell to al-Qaida-linked Islamist militants in April amid the chaos that followed a March 22 coup in the south.

As the crisis drags on, hopes for a negotiated solution appear to be fading.  What was once fierce resistance to the prospect of foreign troops in Mali appears to be waning.

Many in Bamako say they worry that Mali’s army is still too disorganized and poorly equipped to take back the region alone.

Click here to listen and continue reading.

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October 12, 2012

Interview with BBC Newshour

Bamako, Mali: Your humble journalist was interviewed by the good people at BBC Newshour to discuss today’s march in Bamako. As reported by AFP, “several thousand people marched in Mali’s capital Bamako on Thursday to call for armed intervention by a West African regional force to help wrest back the vast north of the country from armed Islamist groups.”

My interview aimed to put this demonstration in context and offer some insight on the current mood in Bamako. You can stream the interview here and download it here. The Mali segment starts around 41:30 or 43:00 depending on format.

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October 8, 2012

Podcast with UN Dispatch

Bamako, Mali: I had the privilege of chatting with Mark Goldberg of the indispensable UN Dispatch on Friday. Our brief conversation focused on various attitudes in Bamako toward potential military intervention in northern Mali. Much like the topic at hand, I was a bit all over the place, but I do hope to have offered some worthwhile insight. You can listen to the podcast here:

Many thanks to Mark Goldberg for reaching out. UN Dispatch has long been one of my daily reads and I cannot recommend it highly enough. You can follow UN Dispatch and Mark on twitter at these handles: @UNDispatch and @MarkLGodlberg.

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