Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bamako (Agenzia Fides) - "Christians feel threatened, scared and hide. In Gao a church was destroyed (see Fides 03/4/2012) as well as other property belonging to the local Church community. Even bars and hotels privately owned were destroyed," says Fr. Edmond Dembele to Fides, spokesman for the Episcopal Conference of Mali. The humanitarian situation gets worse and worse because the lack of food is sensed.
"It seems that the Islamist movements are gaining the upper hand on the military against the MNLA (Movement that fights for the independence of Azawad, north of the country). The Islamists control Timboctou and Kidal, while in Gao they share control of the city together with the men of MNLA" says Fr. Dembele.
Among the Islamist movements that are militarily present in the north there is that of Ansar al Din. "But there is another association that bears the same name and is present in southern Mali. It is a very open and tolerant association, whose President read a statement on television in which he states that his organization has nothing to do with Ansar al-Din, which works in the north and that, unlike this movement, his association is contrary to the application of the Sharia in Mali because Mali is a secular country," reports Fr. Dembele.
There is now the looming danger that the separatists and Islamists deal for control of territory wrested from the regular army. As Fr. Dembele says, in fact, "the two rebel movements that conquered the north of Mali do not have the same goal. MNLA wants independence of the region while Ansar al-Din wants to impose the Sharia law throughout the Country. They fought together with the Malian army, but now that they no longer have a common enemy what is feared is that Islamists and separatists deal for a the control of the territory."
In the capital, Bamako, the ceremony of investiture of the President, Dioncounda Traore, as Head of State ad interim is taking place. Under an agreement signed between the coup junta that seized power on March 22 and ECOWAS (the Union of West African States, which had strongly condemned the coup), Traoré will lead the Country in the next 40 days, at the end of which new bodies will be created to continue the transition phase during which new elections will be prepared and one will try to regain the control of northern Mali. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 12/4/2012)
