Current Situation in Mali and Algeria – 17 January 2013
January 17, 2013 in Algeria, Mali, Region Specific Guidance
Over the past 24 hours in Mali, it has been reported that French and Malian forces have continued their offensive operations against the militants. Close combat occurred on the streets of Diabaly on Wednesday when battles broke out between the soldiers and the rebels. Diabaly, which is located 350km (220 miles) north of the capital of Bamako, was taken by the Islamists on Monday. Since then, French fighter jets have attacked the rebel position in preparation for the ground assaults that are currently taking place. Currently, the town of Diabaly continues to remain under the control of the rebels. Military sources have also confirmed today that fighting has also erupted between the Malian army, and Islamist insurgents in the central town of Konna. According to sources, the fighting broke out on Wednesday afternoon near the town, whose capture by Islamist rebels last week prompted France to intervene in a bid to drive back the insurgents. Army sources and witnesses have indicated that the operations in both towns has been made more complex due to the fact that the Islamists fighters have merged with the populations and have been using them as human shields.
Officials have announced that on Thursday, 190 Nigerian troops will be flown in from the northern city of Kaduna into Mali in order to help fight the Islamist insurgents in the northern region of the country. This will be the first West African contingent to join France’s anti-rebel operation which was launched in Mali last Friday. In turn, the arrival of the first Nigerian troops will also undoubtedly bring some relief to the French soldiers who are currently receiving only limited support from the fairly weak Malian army. Although it has been reported that 3,300 regional troops will be deployed in the conflict under a United Nations Security Council resolution sources have indicated that this number may reach to over 5,000 troops. Nigeria will lead this West African regional force and it has promised to send a total of 900 troops as well as fighter jets. Chad has confirmed that it will send 2,000 soldiers who will join the anti-rebel operations while Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger and Senegal have also pledged to take part. Togo has also pledged to send troops in which forty Togolese soldiers arrived in Mali on Thursday. France currently has some 1,400 troops positioned on the ground and defence sources have indicated that this number is expected to rise to 2,500.
Although officials in France previously had indicated that this intervention will most likely last weeks and not months, French President Francois Hollande has indicated that Fance’s parliament will hold a vote on the operation if it has to be extended beyond four months. In a separate development, the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court has opened a war crimes investigation that will focus on the acts that have been committed in the some of the northern regions of the country since January 2012. Fatou Bensouda has indicated that “at each stage during the conflict, different armed groups have caused grave human suffering through a range of alleged acts of extreme violence.” Concluding that “ I have determined that some of these deeds of brutality and destruction may constitute war crimes.”
Algeria
Yesterday’s kidnapping incident has continued to rapidly unfold over the past twenty-four hours as Algerian forces moved against the Islamic militants holding hostages at a BP gas facility in eastern Algeria. The current disposition is unclear, however what is evident is that this incident is linked as a direct consequence of French military operations in Mali. Several media outlets have reported that four foreigners – two from Scotland, one from France and one from Kenya – along with nearly 600 Algerian workers were freed but that a number of people were killed in the military operation. Ireland’s foreign ministry has also indicate that the Irishman who was also kidnapped has since been freed. Reports earlier on in the day indicated that fifteen foreigners and thirty Algerian hostages had also managed to escape from the plant.
The operation began when Algerian soldiers surrounded the facility, which is located in Amenas, shortly after kidnappers had occupied the facility on Wednesday afternoon. Although the operation was seen by Algerian officials as necessary, many heads of state, whose nationals were amongst the hostages at the remote gas plant, have voiced their concerns. Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal called his UK counterpart, Prime Minister David Cameron to say that the operation was under way at 11:30GMT. A spokesman for the Prime Minister has since indicated that Mr. Cameron made it clear that he would have preferred to have been informed in advance however the Algerians have maintained that they had to act immediately. Mr. Cameron has also indicated that the current situation remains to be “fluid, ongoing and very uncertain,” and that Britain “should be prepared for further bad news.” In turn, the White House has also indicated that it is “seeking clarity” on the operation while Japan has demanded that the assault be immediately stopped.
Algerian Interior Minister Daho Ould Kabila indicated that the kidnappers were Algerian and that they were operating under the orders of Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who was a senior commander of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) until late last year. Belmokhtar has since claimed responsibility for launching the attack. Although he was one of the leaders of AQIM, he was pushed out of the organization towards the end of last year and has since set up a group called “Signatories in Blood.” He has also been blamed for previous abductions and the killings of both Algerians and foreigners. However currently, the reasoning behind the attack remains to be unclear. One statement, which was released by the hostage-takers, called for an end to the French military intervention that is currently occurring in Mali.
MS Risk continues to monitor the events in Mali, Algeria and throughout West Africa. We encourage that all companies throughout the region follow the previous advice that MS Risk has provided in relation to their safety and security considerations.
