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Mali : Between persistent security challenges and Sahel States Alliance (SSA) reforms Spécial
octobre 18, 2024
668
Source : Sahel weather September 2024
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According to the General Commissioner for Refugees and Stateless Persons, the security situation in the central Sahel deteriorated during 2023, with an upsurge in violence aggravated by rivalry between the two main jihadist groups operating there, namely the Groupe de Soutien à l'Islam et aux Musulmans (GSIM- JNIM) and the Etat Islamique dans le Grand Sahara (EIGS). This is without consequence for Mali, which is seeing the deterioration of the situation in the North spread to other regions in the Centre and South.
On September 17, 2024, gunfire and bangs were heard in several areas of Bamako, around the Gendarmerie School and Modibo Keïta airport, according to a Reuters witness and a security source. The attack was premeditated and claimed by jihadists affiliated to Al Qaeda. In a video published by Le Monde, a jihadist is seen setting fire to the engine of the Malian presidential Boeing. According to the Malian authorities, the attack claimed only a few victims, whereas the Malian officer contacted by Le Monde spoke of around sixty. Military sources speak of at least 80 victims, which could call into question the effectiveness of the transitional government's security policy.
As a result, the Malian army has issued a statement reassuring Malians who were awakened by detonations and gunfire, describing the incident as an attempt by terrorists to infiltrate the gendarmerie school. Interviewed on RFI, Arthur Banga, a teacher-researcher and specialist in defense issues at Abidjan's Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, seems to be surprised by these attacks, even more so by the choice of targets. "We didn't expect Bamako - and mainly military targets, not even civilian ones - to be attacked yesterday morning," he says. He argues that psychologically and strategically, the Malian Armed Forces (FAMA) and those of its allies are far superior. And this - according to the teacher-researcher - explains the desire to slow them down or weaken them.
The rebels of the Cadre Stratégique Permanent (CSP) have also announced the use of drones in their operations. The announcement was made on September 11, 2024, following an attack on a Malian army base some 50 km from Timbuktu. It wouldn't be the first time they'd used it, and it's likely to change the balance of war between the Malian army and its allies and the rebels in northern Mali. Bamako was quick to retaliate, attacking the area around Tinzaouatène. At this point, it's important to remember that Sahelian armies are making increasing use of aircraft in their operations against jihadists. On the same day, TV5 Monde's signal was cut off in Mali by the Haute Autorité de la Communication (HAC), on the grounds that the information announced in TV5's Journal Afrique, announcing some fifteen victims during drone raids in Tinzaouatène, was given without consulting the Malian army's version. This measure comes on top of the other suspensions to which certain French media, such as France 2, LCI, France and RFI, have been subject since the beginning of 2024.
With a view to harmonizing travel documents, ESA member countries are to create a new common biometric passport. The announcement was made by the head of Mali's transition, Colonel Assimi Goïta. "We will work to put in place the necessary infrastructures to strengthen the connection of our territories through transport and communication networks," he declared. There have also been several cases of disappearances, reappearances, arrests and releases. The disappearance of Idrissa Sankaré, former deputy for Bankass, civil servant at the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and third vice- president of the Tabital Pulaaku Mali association, is a cause for concern. According to information provided by RFI, he is being held in a secret prison rate Security. Tabital Pulaaku International, an association defending the culture and rights of the Peuhl community, is demanding his immediate release. We are very concerned for the physical integrity and life of Idrissa Sankaré," continues the vice-president of Tabital Pulaaku International. We call on the Malian authorities to release Idrissa Sankaré without delay, and without taking any extrajudicial measures against him. If Idrissa Sankaré is to be judged, let it be done in accordance with the law, and let the whole world know what he is accused of, and why he should be taken away like this", announced the members of the aforementioned association.
Also, the former head of Malian intelligence, Colonel Kassoum Goïta, missing since 2021 after the Coup d'État, has reappeared at Camp 1 of the Bamako Gendarmerie. Anonymous judicial source on September 30, 2024. In continuation of the release of detainees, eleven political cadres, members of the "March 31st Declaration", detained for "opposition to the exercise of legitimate authority" since June, were released on September 12, 2024.
Finally, Mali is adopting a new law to provide a framework for magistrates' freedom of expression, without hindering their rights and duties. This law would give them all the freedoms enjoyed by Malians, but with "respect for the authority of the State and public order".