French intervention in Mali

[Reeve]

So... the Malian insurgents don't seem to be backing down from France's show of force. It looks like some of Mali's neighboring nations are looking to send Mali aid in the form of troops on the ground. If those things aren't able to get the job done, will France have the chutzpah to put boots on the ground? If they do, will they request NATO aid? If NATO starts putting soldiers on the ground, will that be accepted by the general Malian population? Right now they seem to be happy with France's intervention, but will that remain if this ends up being a protracted conflict?

[Deleted]

So... the Malian insurgents don't seem to be backing down from France's show of force. It looks like some of Mali's neighboring nations are looking to send Mali aid in the form of troops on the ground. If those things aren't able to get the job done, will France have the chutzpah to put boots on the ground? If they do, will they request NATO aid? If NATO starts putting soldiers on the ground, will that be accepted by the general Malian population? Right now they seem to be happy with France's intervention, but will that remain if this ends up being a protracted conflict?

I would tell you, but the battery's of my crystal ball are death :/
Well, I hope it doesn't escalate.

[Deleted]

Erm, boots are already on the ground. And tanks just arrived in the country.

[Reeve]

Erm, boots are already on the ground. And tanks just arrived in the country.

Oh, OK then. Well this could get interesting then.

[tibe]

I don't blame them. They had it rough.

17 octobre 1961, Paris.

[Rend Blackhand]

I don't want to see Mali turn into another Somalia, Afghanistan or Yemen. A haven for extreme Islamists and Al-Qaeda affiliated groups. Good on the French to intervene.

I know us Brits have given support in the form of two C-17 cargo planes to haul stuff over there.

[Olo]

I know us Brits have given support in the form of two C-17 cargo planes to haul stuff over there.

looks like Canada is chipping in with one of their own as well

[Jackmoves]

will France have the chutzpah to put boots on the ground? If they do, will they request NATO aid? If NATO starts putting soldiers on the ground, will that be accepted by the general Malian population?

I think there are 550 french troops there already(Swedish media), not sure what other countries are in Mali atm, we apparently got around a dozen SF guys training the mali troops(according to the armed forces PR officer).

This is from early November 2012

Europe to send 400 special forces to Mali
European armies are expected to send up to 400 special forces troops to Mali to join an African-led mission against Islamists allied to al-Qaeda occupying the country’s desert north, diplomats said.

West African leaders met on Sunday in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, to put the final touches to a military plan drawn up with input from the EU and the United Nations.

The mission, expected to launch early next year, will be made up of as many as 3,300 troops, most of them from Mali but with reinforcements from Niger, Burkina Faso and other African nations.

“We expect that there will be support from the EU in the order of 200 to 400 military support troops to help train the African Union force,” one European diplomat with knowledge of the proceedings said.

The soldiers would mostly be tasked with training local forces and would not take part in fighting, the diplomat added.

Ansar Dine, an Islamist militia with ties to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, seized territory the size of France in Mali’s north after a military coup in March that ousted the government in the capital, Bamako.

[Sayl]

Uh. In this article...

Once characterized as a nation of "surrender monkeys," France's decision to put boots on the ground in Mali to battle Islamist insurgents will surprise some.

...coverage of French military intervention just couldn't happen without a Simpsons reference? Really?

[Theronus]

Intervention? I think you mean Terrorism.

[Laize]

Africa is a giant shit-hole. I say that with as much affection as I can muster. Honestly, every day it's something else on that continent. Child conscription, slavery, torture, genital mutilation, rape, genocide... and then there's a coup d'état and the next in line gets his shot at conscription, slavery, torture, rape, genocide and the like.

Some of the countries are fine (Or mostly fine anyway) but it seems the further inland you go, the more insane shit gets. Honestly the US and EU should just have a joint-effort march across the continent rounding up all the psychos and imprisoning them on Madagascar. Anyone who's ever played Pandemic knows NOTHING gets in or out of Madagascar.

[Deleted]

Uh. In this article...


...coverage of French military intervention just couldn't happen without a Simpsons reference? Really?

Gotta keep the stereotypes alive. Also that kind of title makes more views.

[Deleted]

Can't say I'm optimistic, but this has been long in the making. Perhaps it can be done more competently then Iraq and Afghanistan, I will keep an eye on all developments though.

[mordale]

Africa is a giant shit-hole. I say that with as much affection as I can muster. Honestly, every day it's something else on that continent. Child conscription, slavery, torture, genital mutilation, rape, genocide... and then there's a coup d'état and the next in line gets his shot at conscription, slavery, torture, rape, genocide and the like.

Some of the countries are fine (Or mostly fine anyway) but it seems the further inland you go, the more insane shit gets. Honestly the US and EU should just have a joint-effort march across the continent rounding up all the psychos and imprisoning them on Madagascar. Anyone who's ever played Pandemic knows NOTHING gets in or out of Madagascar.

honestly, i think corrective-imperialism might not be a bad thing if applied to Africa.

its not like it could get much worse.