Stories about Mali from July, 2012
Mali: Athletes Go to London Olympics With Heads Held High
"We will definitely be in London and our goal is to prove to the whole world that in spite of our struggles, our country is still standing." - Malian National Olympic Committee President
Mali: What is The ECOWAS Waiting for ?
Francis Laloupo wonders whether the ECOWAS has a clear purpose in the resolution [fr] of the crisis in Northern Mali. Laloupo argues that while the ECOWAS has maintained for the past 4 months that they strive to re-establish the unity of the Malian territory, they have yet to draw a coherent strategy to...
Northern Mali: Resistance in the Streets and Online
Northern Mali has been de facto cut off from its central government since the Tuareg rebels then the Islamists drove the army out of their territory. On the ground, tension is rising. Women were the first to go out on the streets and in all the northern cities, the young have taken up protest.
Mali: Media Workers to Strike in Protest of Journalist Kidnapping
Saouti Haïdara, the 62 year old director of Malian newspaper L’Indépendant, was recently kidnapped by men wearing balaclavas, beaten, then abandoned on a road. This is the latest incident in weeks of arrests and intimidation of media professionals in Mali following the military coup in March 2012.
A Weak African Union for 53 Member States
2011 was a tumultuous year for the African continent with revolutions, attempted coups and violent political crises. Unfortunately the union of 53 African states that has as its mission to help strengthen regional peace and development has proved its own shortcomings in dealing with these situations.
Mali: Worldwide Inactivity Over Destruction of Timbuktu Shrines
June 30, 2012, will go down in history as one of the most devastating dates for Mali and for its cultural heritage. It's when Islamist group of Ansar Dine, one of the armed groups controlling northern Mali, set about demolishing the shrines of Muslim saints in the city of Timbuktu.
