Mali’s society, with myriad militia forces and tribes in the north and weak government in Bamako, would be undermined by a simple show of strength. Until his removal in March, President Amadou Toumani Touré relied on a network of personal ties and clientelistic alliances to control outlying regions, rather than strong, democratic institutions. It was a low-cost solution that kept armed groups with limited ambitions at bay. But events in Libya turned the Tuareg rebels into a well-equipped force. They’ve since been squeezed out by an alliance of Islamists – led by Ansar Dine, with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) – who’ve bought weapons with money earned from years of trafficking and hostage-taking.
Read Full Article »
