Mali formally requests for the intervention of ECOWAS

REUTERS/Luc Gnago

Original author: AFP
Original source: http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2012/09/05/le-mali-demande-formellement-une-intervention-de-la-cedeao_1755611_3212.html, checked on 05-09-2012
(Translated from French to English by Thomas den Hollander)

“Interim President of Mali, Dioncounda Traoré, has requested the intervention of military forces in West Africa to re-conquer the North which currently is in the hands of Islamists”, said Special Representative of France for the Sahel, Jean-Felix Paganon, on Tuesday in Ouagadougou.

"This day was marked by a significant development in Abidjan, where President Alassane Ouattara (President of the Economic Community of West Africa) has informed us that President Traoré has formally sent a query to ECOWAS to provide military contribution for the stabilization of the country and especially for the re-conquest of the North, "said Jean-Felix Paganon, who returned from Abidjan where he met with President Alassane Ouattara, President of the ECOWAS. "This is an important development that we discussed the possible developments with president of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaoré," said Jean-Felix Paganon at a press conference.

ECOWAS has expressed its readiness to send to Mali a force of some 3,300 soldiers, whose contours remain unclear, but wishes to obtain a UN mandate for the deployment, which depended also an official request by the Malian transition authorities. They had so far refused the deployment of foreign troops on the territory of Mali.

But the situation has changed on the ground with the taking of the strategic town of Douentza, in the centre of the country, which on 1 September fell without a single shot fired into the hands of the Movement for the uniqueness and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao), one of the armed extremist Islamist groups which control the vast North of Mali for five months to date.

Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu, the three administrative regions comprising the northern Mali, fell five months ago at the hands of Mujao and other armed groups including Tuareg rebels and jihadists linked to al-Qaida. Then the Islamists ousted their former Touareg allies and now fully control the North.

DISCLAIMER: Neither English nor French is my native language, so please be aware of any translation errors. If you find one (or more), please feel free to contact me. 

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Personal analysis of the capture of Douentza: 

The capture of Douentza by Mujao could be an indication that the extremists are moving South, into the less rough and more inhabited part of Mali. They've stated that they strife for the total conquest of Mali to impose Sharia law, unlike the Touareg MNLA who's only goal was the "liberation" of the North.

"A" indicates the location of Douentza (source Google Maps)

 As can be seen on the map above, Douentza is situated in the centre of Mali, in the narrowest part of the country. Also, the highway from Gao in the North to the capital Bamako (RN 15, which becomes RN 6 at Sévaré) goes straight through the city. This highway is the only "Route Nationale" in the North. The strategic importance of Douentza should not be underestimated, it can serve as a perfect base from which the extremists can operate and try to set up an eventual invasion of the South. This can become a very important town in the battle for Mali, which will eventually occur in the near future.