Operation Serval in Mali: an European Affair

Oasis in the desert by Antal Ligeti

France is the leading entity in the military intervention in Mali. Other international entities are present in the country to offer logistical support, intel and help training the African contingency (e.g. England, Germany, Italy, Canada and even the US).

Last year, France and other European countries (like Germany and Spain, for instance) proposed themselves to help ECOWAS intervening militarily in Mali as long as the UNSC would back them up. The UN first declined the ECOWAS application, and finally in December it approved an African military intervention with the aid of France and its allies (after the Islamists had enough time to seize more than 50% of the Malian territory and to practically build a state within the Malian state).

On the 10th of January, of the current year, the Islamists (a coalition between Al-Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb; MUJAO and Ansar Dine) - on their way to Bamako - took over Konna; which prompted the French emergency intervention: the UNSC unanimous approval for this Euro-mission was issued on the 14th of January 2013. 

This military intervention is quite refreshing: for the first time since the WWII, Europe (with France at the helm) is the leading actor of this fight against Evil - read "protection of its own interests". What interests are those, you ask? Mali is surrounded by - Algeria, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea and Senegal - countries that are extremely rich (in oil, gas, gold, diamonds, coal, bauxite, uranium, phosphates, inorganic fertilisers, salt etc etc) and sustain the euro-comfort. France Telecom is present in all the mentioned countries (including Mali) and, the French finger is all over these countries' economy. And that is why France is the leader in this war.

If this military campaign is protracted we might even see Australia joining the bandwagon, since it has heavy interests (in the mining and oil industries) in many of the mentioned African nations. 

Looking at the vast natural resources of these African nations it is quite understandable why Islamists would want to take over the region. If they would and the proponents of [a strict version of] Shari'ah Law would control those resources, to whom would they sell them to - in order to finance their way towards the establishment of the Caliphate? To Iran, Saudi Arabia; to China and maybe Russia (we say "maybe" because with Russia nothing is what seems to be)...

The Islamists accused France, and the allied forces, of engaging in a Crusade. This absurd accusation has been done by radical Muslims for decades and, they have been repeating it so much (not only during their recruiting process but also in the media) that actually the West is beginning to acknowledge the need to repeat History (the German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, has shared his concern "by recent reports about the plight of Christians and their increasing persecution in some parts of the world.").

Islamists are proud of being infiltrated in all levels of Western society but they were misled by Europe, by the US and by the UNSC itself: the media reported that France (and friends), would only deploy to Mali in September 2013 after the African troops had received proper training. It's January and the game is on. 

The secular Tuaregs, who reached an agreement with the Malian government last December, have offered to join the French-led military campaign and fight against the Islamist coalition: good call; even because they are protecting the agreed autonomy they'll have in the North of the country. 

Free Mali!