by Ambassador Christophe Bigot
Two long months have
already passed since northern Mali, an area about the size of France,
fell under the control of terrorists. This is a group of criminals, some
of whom are part of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb; they are
terrifying the local population, taking hostages, defiling holy places,
financing themselves through smuggling and arming themselves with heavy
weapons to boot. Last week, the group planned to expand its offensive,
to take control of the city of Mopti and from there, the capital,
Bamako, thus completing their takeover of the entire country to
establish a reign of terror.
At the initiative of
French President François Hollande, and at the request of Malian
President Dioncounda Traoré, France decided to provide military aid and
help Mali in its struggle against fanatic terrorist groups. France sent
its air force to bomb the terrorists' convoys and their bases, and also
sent ground troops to reinforce the Malian army.
Why did France decide
to intervene? The threat hovered over Mali's territorial integrity as
well as the regional stability of North Africa, and even the entire
African continent. France decided that it must prevent the construction
of a forward terrorist base at the gates of North Africa on the
Mediterranean basin. Europe and the rest of the world could not stand by
idly. Indeed, the world did not remain indifferent. Everyone welcomed
French military action, which is being carried out in the framework of
international law, based on U.N. Security Council Resolution 2085,
adopted unanimously. The resolution officially recognized France as the
ground-force leader for U.N. assistance in Mali.
The operation that has
been conducted over the last week has also enjoyed the support of Mali's
neighbors. Algeria allowed French air force planes to fly over its
territory and closed its borders; the African Union and the U.S. both
praised the military operation; some European countries have helped with
the process; and a large number of member countries in the Economic
Community of West African States promised to send troops, including
Nigeria, Senegal, Niger, Benin and Burkina Faso.
The operation to assist
Malian forces will continue as long as necessary, but no one has any
intention of turning this into a long-term operation. Sometimes the use
of force turns out to be crucial, when it is done legally, legitimately
and after the failure of all other possibilities. In Mali, the use of
force became a necessity; however, it is not an end in itself. Once the
Malian forces are able to take control and mediate the terrorist threat,
it will be necessary to create conditions for political dialogue and
reconciliation among all citizens. Considering the reality of northern
Mali, it must not be left wrapped in terrorism. It is essential that
elections for the president and parliament take place as soon as
possible. Work in the long term to promote the country's development is
also critical, considering it is one of the poorest countries in the
world.
This is all necessary
because in today's interconnected world, Mali's fate has an impact that
reaches much further than Timbuktu.
Christophe Bigot is the French ambassador to Israel.
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=3252
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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