Many would ask if severing ties with France is an excellent idea, but the answer remains “YES”. The breach of ties between Mali and France is a unique outcome that Negro Africa needs to embrace.
Many would ask if severing ties with France is an excellent idea, but the answer remains “YES”. The breach of ties between Mali and France is a unique outcome that Negro Africa needs to embrace. African ties with France have promoted nothing else but disunity among the African people. A typical example of this was experienced in the strategic intervention of French troops in Mali in 2013. It is an ideal reason that helps illustrate why France seeks to control and exploit northern Mali and the wider Sahara. Contrary to the development of friendly relations between nations, this has resulted in ties split between France and Mali. Rumours about French support for Tuareg separatism emerged as early as 2013, in parallel with Operation Serval. As French troops moved up north during the intervention, they handed liberated towns over to the accompanying contingents of the Malian forces. This was not the case with Kidal. French troops prevented the Mali- an army from entering the town. Intentionally or not, this enabled the Tuareg rebel group (Mouvement national de libération de l’Azawad) to reestablish a foothold in Kidal which it had previously lost to the jihadists. According to an advisor in the Malian Presidency, French troops supplied arms and logistics for the Tuareg rebels through Libya and Burkina Faso.
"Historical ties between Africa and France have often sparked debate about unity and autonomy on the continent. Events like the 2013 intervention in Mali raise questions on the balance between support and influence. #AfricaUnity #Sovereignty #GlobalRelations"
Why is that the case?
In a rare public critique, the ex-Malian President Ibrahim Keita reverberated wider Malian suspicions: “These foreign troops are intended to help Mali recover its territorial integrity and sovereignty. Unfortunately, we are witnessing a situation where the presence of these troops has prevented Mali from re-establishing state authority in Kidal, whereas it has done so in Gao and Timbuktu. Why is that the case? We are not naïve, the Tuareg rebellion of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) returned to Kidal in the wake of the troops that came to liberate us”. The rebels’ renewed control over Kidal forced the government to start negotiations with the MNLA. This was a direct result of French “betrayal”, “complicity” or a “collusion” with the MNLA to promote secession.
Since 2013, Many Malians have expressed similar disbelief about Kidal. A leader of the social movement Antè A Bana (Touches pasà ma Constitution) exclaimed:
“Someone tell us the truth! We want to know what’s going on and what’s behind it. Why can’t we go to Kidal? Why can’t the ministers go to Kidal without negotiating with the Tuareg rebels controlling the town?” The controversy was amplified when Prime Minister Moussa Mara went to Kidal on 22 May 2014. His visit sparked heavy fighting between FAMA units and the MNLA, resulting in a bruising defeat of the Malian army. The disaster spurred all over the country with Malians claiming French troops had disguised as jihadists and fought in Kidal alongside the MNLA. Thousands of demonstrators protested in Bamako, Gao, and other towns, denouncing the complicity of France and Minusma with the Tuareg rebels.
The Quest for Resource Control
In October 2021, Mali’s Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga said he had evidence that could prove France’s involvement in training armed groups operating in Mali. To him, French troops had created an enclave in Kidal which was handed to Ansar al-Din a terrorist group allegedly linked to Al-Qaeda.
It should be noted, that NATO’s Libya intervention which was spearheaded by France and the birth of the Tuareg rebellion group isn’t any coincidence.
Tuareg rebels fought alongside France in the conquest of the Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. Many Malians claim Paris had been instrumental in the creation of the MNLA which creates a narrative that attributes considerable coherency to French policy.
France Continued Grip on Mali's Resources
France’s military presence in Mali since 2013 has to hide strategic and economic objectives. Fighting terrorists served as an excuse for them to stay in the northern part of the country where they exploited natural resources. The Kidal project sits on 1,695 square miles of land.
The Samit deposit in the region is estimated to have 220 tons of uranium. This explains the growing interest in uranium mining which has spiked in recent years due to increased global demand for energy. During the intervention, French convoys of large vehicles made their way up to northern Mali, supposedly carrying heavy mining machinery. A program officer from Gao who worked at the time in an international NGO in Bamako reported “strange explosions” in the vicinity of the French Camp in the region. Evidence also showed French soldiers handling large caterpillars and dredges, alleged “proof” of the exploitation thesis.
Fight for Liberation
Also, the control of Tessalit was a major stake for France, where its army had allegedly imposed a large perimeter around its camp, to which Malian officials had no access. As an idea that is taught at school, Tessalit is one of the most strategic places on earth. The intervention of French troops and their support to Tuareg separatism has weakened the harmony and integrity of the Malian people, paving the way for the unlawful exploitation of Mali’s mineral fortune.
It should be noted that the cost of freedom is humility and sacrifice, and absolute freedom does not disregard or violate other rights, but enchants the beauty of nature in our societies. Malian coup leaders should practice fairness, representation, liberty, and justice which will enhance absolute freedom with a promising return to civilian rule. Note that, the divisibility of French African people is a strategy used by strategic and economic objectives. Fighting terrorists served as an excuse for them to stay in the northern part of the country where they exploited natural resources. France in exploiting African subsoils. The strategic intervention of French troops in Mali was a violation of national sovereignty. It made the Malian people objects of intervention while depriving them of power and agency.
Comments
annabrown
Good Blog!
cmsmasters
Thanks.