MALI: United Nations, African Union and regional bloc ECOWAS leaders to meet in Bamako.

Record ID: 342927

  • Title: MALI: United Nations, African Union and regional bloc ECOWAS leaders to meet in Bamako.
  • Date: 18th October 2012
  • Summary: BAMAKO, MALI (OCTOBER 18, 2012) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (French) DJIBI GUINDO, ANTIQUE DEALER, SAYING: "It's time to act, too many meetings without any results, talking, talking, talking. We have no work, that's no good for me." VARIOUS STREET SCENES (SOUNDBITE) (French) MAMADOU KABA, FLOWER VENDOR, SAYING: "Myself, our fathers, our mothers, we've suffered too much, we're
  • Embargoed: 2nd November 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Mali
  • Country: Mali
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA5MJ3J6CAIVRW3HX7LPZF1BBN1
  • Story Text: A high level meeting tries to spark life into the process to resolve Mali's crisis though efforts to organise a military intervention are still bogged down by divisions between the key actors - some asking for military intervention, some for dialogue - and the lack of planning and funds.

    Regional leaders and world bodies will tackle Mali's crisis at a high-level meeting in Bamako on Friday (October 19), but progress will be measured in terms of improved coordination and sustained momentum rather than concrete plans or action.
    The United Nations Security Council last week gave African leaders 45 days to draw up a plan for military intervention to retake control of Mali's north, currently in the hands of a mix of al Qaeda-linked Islamists
    Former colonial power France, with six hostages held by the Islamists and fearing an attack on home soil, is eager for military action, as are some West African leaders worried Mali's conflict will spill over into their largely fragile states.
    But diplomats warn any concerted military intervention remains months away and add there are still divisions over whether an election should be held to replace Mali's caretaker government before a military operation.
    Mali is paralysed by a twin crisis with the leadership in Bamako still divided since a March coup that toppled the president but which also accelerated the rebel take-over of the north of the country, now firmly under Islamist control.
    Regional efforts to deal with the situation, which has created a safehaven for Islamists and international criminal gangs, have been dogged by international divisions over how to help, with some pushing for swift military intervention while others advocate a more cautious approach.
    Public statements by France, the African Union and other officials ahead of the meeting have set the bar low - calling for consensus and coordination.
    Arriving in Bamako on Wednesday (October 16) only days after taking the African Union chair, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said talks will be held with all the players, but didn't commit to a military intervention.
    "The African Union wants to work alongside Mali, with the United Nations and ECOWAS, in order to find a joint consensus. We would like to accompany Mali as it tries to regain its territorial integrity, support the country moving toward national elections, and ensure that post-conflict efforts will be made toward development. Therefore we would like to obviously see Mali rediscover its democratic unity and its place among developing countries," Zuma said.
    "The territorial integrity of Mali is to be respected. China is ready to work with the United Nations, the African Union and ECOWAS to help Mali reclaim its territorial integrity. We also think that dialogue between Mali and the occupying groups is paramount," echoed the Chinese envoy Zhong Jian Huan.
    The meeting on Friday is the last in a long list of ECOWAS meetings usually held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
    Malians are mostly just tired with meetings, and more than six months since the military coup that threw the country into chaos, they just simply want a solution.
    "It's time to act, too many meetings without any results, talking, talking, talking. We have no work, that's no good for me," said antique dealer Djibi Guindo.
    While they have not ruled out military force, calls for a dialogue-first approach have been led by Algeria, the region's top military power that fought a long war against Islamists in the 1990s.
    Other neighbours such as Guinea argue that no time can be wasted in mediation efforts.
    "Myself, our fathers, our mothers, we've suffered too much, we're too tired. And we want the junta to leave now, they should just leave. The Mujawo, the Ansar Dine, they should just leave our country so we are free. We are a non-religious country," said another man from Bamako, Mamadou Kaba, who earns his living by selling flowers.
    The United States, which spent years working with Mali's army against al Qaeda's Sahara wing, has called for a more cautious approach, seeking elections to strengthen the political leadership in Bamako first, with a possible military intervention later if needed.
    Little progress has been made so far by either regional or Malian mediators, and armed groups seeking to take part in talks have been ordered to distance themselves from both terrorist and criminal groups before they can be engaged.
    A document due to be adopted at the gathering, known as Mali's Support and Follow-up Group, highlights the threats faced but is thin on detail on how to address them.
    "The armed terrorist and criminal groups ... are further entrenching themselves, including by attempting, and partly succeeding, to buy some level of support among local populations, taking advantage of their vulnerability," according to a draft seen by Reuters.
    The process must be led by Mali's leaders, better regional collaboration and sustained support from the UN and broader international community, it says.
    This is intended to focus the minds of the civilian and military leadership in Bamako, the diplomat said.
    However, marches by hundreds of people in recent weeks on the streets of Bamako have reflected splits within Malian opinion, with some calling for a swift foreign military intervention while others vehemently against it.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register