A small group of U.S. military personnel are deployed to Mali “on stand-by,” despite Washington’s official suspension of military cooperation following last month’s coup, as negotiations for a return to civilian rule supposedly continue.
Over the weekend, U.S. Africa Command dispatched a team of rotating “advisory troops” to the capital, Bamako.“The U.S. military members will not engage with the Malian military … until the current situation is resolved and the U.S. Government approves restitution of the long-standing U.S.-Malian partnership,” Nicole Dalrymple, an AFRICOM spokeswoman, said in a statement.
While the U.S. has suspended about half the aid it sends to the Mali government, the Obama administration has not yet made a formal decision as to whether a military coup has taken place in Mali. Such a finding would require the Washington to cut off all aid. “We’re still considering this a ‘mutiny’ with uncertain results,” Nuland said.
The Obama administration took a similar position toward Honduras after the military coup there in 2009, declining to officially categorize it as a coup and continuing to send military and economic aid to the increasingly violent and corrupt regime. Now, Washington’s ties to Honduras are strong as ever, as the U.S. tries to maintain dominance in Central America under the rubric of the war on drugs.
Mali’s coup leaders have not ceded power to civilian rule as they had promised, despite harsh economic sanctions imposed on the country by neighboring West African leaders in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). As a next step, leaders in the neighboring countries are meeting to draft plans for a possible military intervention to force the junta from power.
While there is some talk from Mali’s Tuareg insurgents that fighting will cease, that has yet to bear out in actions. Meanwhile, the Islamist coup leaders have announced they will impose sharia law.
The spark to all the instability in Mali, which is leading to severe repression and possibly regional conflict, is still being laid at the U.S.-NATO. Robert Fowler, a former UN regional envoy, told the Guardian, “Whatever the motivation of the principal Nato belligerents [in ousting Gaddafi], the law of unintended consequences is exacting a heavy toll in Mali today and will continue to do so throughout the Sahel as the vast store of Libyan weapons spreads across this, one of the most unstable regions of the world.”
Pandora doesn't hold a candle to the FedGov and it's meddling.
Everyone knew that NATO intervention in Libyan is not about Gaddafi, NATO wouldn't be that stupid to start a war in Libya for a Gaddafi’s or his son’s life. Libya is about Africa, the unity among nations in Africa, who would be better to divide people then Saudis and UAE hand in hand with US and NATO and the barbarians, Gaddafi had them under control now they are all over the place, who would be better off with such plan then USA – EU and Saudis. They are doing the same in Syria, they are active all over acting as a mad man (regimes) with a knife killing what people of Africa have achieved, a unity, thats what they are after to start with, they are not there for democracy, forget about democracy, democracy is a thing of the past, is a matter for new generation to look for, you want neo fascism, the word is written all over the industrialized countries working with tyrants to implement the idea. Look Europe is heading in that direction and is not shy in saying it or acting upon it, so is US, what is different here is that they do it openly, in US they do it secretly. Democracy is no longer about people, democracy is about who can buy the entire country like Greece or Spain or Portugal or Ireland, thats where the democracy stumbling about showing one face today changing it by midnight.
Translation: The US sends its assassins to kill more black people…
Bob Fowler has been telling the world that the Sahel has been a political tinderbox for a decade now. Oviously the guys who know everthting already, didn't need to read what he observed. It must be because he was 'dumb enough' to actually go there and be kidnapped for 6 months by the 'rebels' – that was in 'peaceful' Niger – another spot Africom is looking at 'helping'. Real 'smart' guys don't need to walk in the dog doo when they can smell it from the office.
Of yeah, and he's a fag, a lefty and hates the military. And America, too.
If he hates America, he's just joined millions.
>>"Mohammed Merah jumped out of the window with a gun in his hand, continuing to fire, and was found dead on the ground."
The US is jumping out the hundredth floor window with all guns blazing.
Who is NATO? The old European empires are riding the wake in hopes of regaining some crumbs. France, England, the lesser formers and Israel the new deserve all the scorn they get, but that's not to forget the Philippines, South/Central America and Vietnam where the US practised the methodologies of atrocity it now uses in it's final, desperate but futile push for bloody world conquest.
Now we're approaching the end of the story and the only question left is if the US goes out like Scarface or like the belligerent drunk who spends his last dollar at the bar and staggers out the door into a crowd of angry vigilantes.
I don’t know much about Mali to make any sensible comment; however, I heard that recently there was a US orchestrated coup in that country. If true, the logical conclusion for sending the marines is to support our men there and to kill the opposition.
Small? How small? Apparently, it's not so small that they can't distabilize an entire country.