Top of the Agenda: Mali Rebels Pledge Counter-Attack on France
Rebels in northern Mali pledged to strike "at the heart" of France after a joint Malian-French offensive (France24),
which is entering its fourth day of attacks, began pushing back
al-Qaeda-linked rebels controlling the region. Algeria, which was
previously hostile to foreign intervention in Mali, on Sunday granted
France permission to fly (al-Jazeera)
through its airspace to reach its targets. France's foreign minister
said that the country's military operation would only last weeks, and
convened a UN Security Council meeting for Monday to discuss the
situation.
Analysis
"In short, to the French, Mali threatens to become a new Afghanistan:
a failed state and a haven for terrorists. Added to this cocktail is
the reality that approximately 6,000 French citizens live in Mali, and
that there are currently seven French hostages being held in the
country. These facts make it even easier to claim that vital French
interests are at stake in a country that is becoming increasingly
unstable," writes Jennifer Welsh for the Globe and Mail.
"For
Hollande, whose poll ratings are at record lows because of his hesitant
leadership and failure to cut unemployment, Mali could emerge as his political crucible.
It was already diverting attention away from a mass march on Sunday in
protest at his plans to legalize gay marriages, and meant that a
late-night Friday deal between trade unions and employers on reforming
the labor market went little noticed," write Mark John and John Irish
for Reuters.
"AQIM is currently holding at least nine European hostages
in northern Mali. Over the last decade a few local Ifoghas, Tuaregs and
Arabs joined AQIM in Mali, and their members also inter-married with
the community," writes May Ying Welsh for al-Jazeera.
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