Mali update – 2-17-13

2-11Wall Street Journal – French, Malians Retake Gao After Assault by Militants

Militants attacked the city of Gao. After an apparent running gun battle, the French and Malian troops chased the rebels out of town.

2-15Wall Street Journal – French Lessons in Mali

Let’s see if I can put this in one sentence.

The Tuareg in northern Mali (MNLA) will cooperate with the French against the jihadists but continue to have long-running grievances with the Malian government and army thus won’t cooperate with them, so to get out of the country France needs to negotiate a political deal between the government and MNLA.

Am I close? I’m not sure

2-16New York Times – In Mali, the Peril of Guerrilla War Looms

The jihadists/rebels/militants have reportedly blended in with the locals at villages near Goa. They can hide in plain sight. Looks like they may wait for an opportunity to strike back.

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