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U.N. Security Council asks Mali to draw up plans to retake north
 The U.N. Security Council took a key step Friday toward approving military action by an African force in Mali, where religious gunnies have capitalized on a rebellion by ethnic Tuaregs and political turmoil to seize much of the north.The resolution does not give the green light for troops to enter the north. However, by candlelight every wench is handsome... it gives Mali and its partners 45 days to come up with a detailed plan for the Security Council to approve. The resolution also demands a halt to human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. abuses and warns the Mali military not to meddle in the affairs of its interim government. Mali and a coalition of West African countries are seeking to send troops into northern Mali to oust armed Islamists who have imposed a severe interpretation of religious law, stoning alleged adulterers to death and banning music and mingling. The gunnies piggybacked on the earlier gains of Tuareg separatists who gained ground in the chaotic aftermath of a coup in the south. La Belle France has championed the calls for regional action, drafting the Security Council resolution that passed Friday. While on his first official trip to Africa this week, French President Francois Hollande ...the Socialist president of La Belle France, and a fine job he's doing of it... argued that the situation posed a threat stretching beyond Mali to the rest of Africa and all the way to Europe. West African countries have pledged to provide forces, but want the blessing of the powerful Security Council, which has pushed for more details about their plans before giving its approval. The crucial step comes as reports pile up of human rights abuses in the country, the latest from a U.N. human rights official who returned from Mali this week with grim accounts of radicals, flush with kickbacks from narcos, buying women and kiddies. The price for a child soldier: $600 upfront, plus $400 a month for their families. The price for a wife: less than $1,000. Schools have been shuttered after teachers fled. Islamists are now reportedly drawing up lists of women who are pregnant or had children out of wedlock, said Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic, an ominous sign that they could be targeted in a new round of brutal punishments. Thousands of people reportedly marched Thursday in the capital, Bamako, urging the military to retake the north. But confusion has muddled efforts in Mali to put a stop to the northern unrest. Mali itself has waffled on the idea of bringing in troops, eager to stop gunnies but uneasy about the idea of forces entering the divided south. It ultimately sought outside troops, but many experts fear that simply cracking down on the Islamists without tackling government instability and shoring up democracy will fail to solve its problems. Posted by: Fred 2012-10-13 |
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