Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bamako (Agenzia Fides) - "In Mali there is a heated debate among the supporters of dialogue and those who are pushing for a military solution to the crisis in the north," is what Father Edmond Dembele, Secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Mali tells Fides. "Which of the two positions will prevail we will perhaps see in the coming days. Algeria, which has recently sent one of its Ministers to Bamako, says that negotiation is the best solution, while here in Mali there are several military supporters. The State has not made an official choice, even if the President ad interim had said that dialogue is the first solution to follow." In September, Mali, however, had requested a UN resolution to authorize "the intervention of an international military force in order to help the Malian army to reconquer the northern regions occupied by different armed Islamist groups (see Fides 25/9/2012).
The Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) offered about 3,000 soldiers, but questions were raised about whether the military were able to ensure the safety in the north, once they recaptured the main population centers. "It is true that 3,000 men are few to control a region as vast as the north of Mali, but it is also true that they are not alone, because there are Malian militaries who will work together with the ECOWAS soldiers to ensure the safety in the north. The primary objective of the government is to free the big cities of the north by the extremists, and then find a way to settle the crisis," said to Fides Fr. Dembele.
One of the uncertainties is the attitude of the Liberation Movement of Azawad (MNLA), the lay group that started the war but lost control of the major northern cities in favor of Islamist groups. "The mediator appointed by ECOWAS, the President of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaoré, has initiated contacts with the MNLA, which revised its position: after proclaiming independence in the north is now talking about self-determination. Several observers think that one needs to retrieve the MNLA to make it an ally of the State in order to regain the north," concludes Fr.Dembele. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 10/10/2012)
