“Soldiers Declare Coup in Mali,” declared a headline in the New York Times. Mali appeared to be done for.
The foreign mercenaries who fought a nasty fight with Gaddafi against the rebels in Libya packed up and left when their paymaster took a bullet to the head.
This is one of those unintended consequences caused by bombing other countries. The CIA refers to it as “blowback.” And they should know.
The mercenaries were from the Tuareg tribe. Along with being a poor-selling Volkswagen, the Tuaregs are warlike nomads from the Sahara.
They were a key component of Gaddafi’s army.
After they lost the Libyan war to the U.S. Navy, they returned to Mali heavily trained, heavily armed, and looking for a fight...
The Tuaregs swiftly took over several villages in the Mali desert. Mali forces were out-gunned and out-matched.
Until yesterday, Mali was a shining beacon of stability in West Africa. The democratically-elected President Toure was stepping down after his second term. A new election was scheduled for next month.
Disgruntled Mali army officers were tired of fighting the Tuaregs with little food and fewer weapons, and so they seized the palace last night...
President Toure managed to escape.
That’s where we stand as I write this.