I have been writing about Mali, even before the military coup that took place in March 2012, since my friend Mayor Yeah Samake was running for president. The coup destabilized the country, and the elections were called off. In the aftermath the Islamist extremists took advantage of the lack of governance in the northern region, taking control of the towns of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu. They instituted Sharia law and undertook brutalities against the Malian people in these towns, and surrounding villages. There was also an influx of insurgents from neighboring countries, from as far away as Pakistan and Afghanistan. Northern Mali—the size of France—had become the epicenter for the Islamist extremists in the Sahel. Many of these insurgents were involved in the U.S. consulate attack in Benghazi.
On January 10, 2013 President Dioncounda Traore called French President Francois Hollande and asked for military help, since a large group of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA) had moved south, taking over the town of Konna, just three hundred miles from Bamako, the capital. The next day French troops and Mirage jets arrived from nearby Chad. Additional troops also came from several neighboring African countries. The Islamists were quickly driven from Konna, and within weeks Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal were liberated. The Islamists were driven into the northern frontier mountain region near the Algerian border, where French and Chadian troops are still seeking out the Islamists.
Since I continued to write regularly about Mali, I planned an information trip to the northern region for mid-March 2013. Mayor Yeah Samake arranged for me to meet with Mayor Mahamadou Alou Toure from the town of Bourem Sidi-Amar, located 30 miles from Timbuktu.
On Monday March 18, I paid a courtesy call on French Ambassador Christian Rouyer, who was confident the Islamists would be defeated. He stated “The French Will Stay to Finish the Job”. Their goal was to drive the Islamists from northern Mali. In addition the French troops would probably stay beyond the July 2013 elections. Rouyer further noted France intended to introduce a resolution to the UN Security Council in April, asking to authorize a peacekeeping force in Mali to replace the French and African military coalition. The goal is to transfer peacekeeping responsibilities to a UN force of up to 10,000 troops.
At 4:00 am the next morning Yeah and Mahamadou picked me up for our long drive to Douentza, approximately 400 miles from Bamako. On the way we stopped at the town of Konna to view the destroyed Islamists camp, where several machine gun mounted pickup trucks were destroyed, and one armored carrier. There were armaments strewn everywhere, indicating a fierce battle had taken place.
In Douentza we met up with our Malian escort team, consisting of four pickup trucks with mounted machine guns and twenty Malian soldiers, to accompany us the last 120 miles over extremely rugged terrain leading to Timbuktu. The fear was that Islamists could still be embedded in the area near the Niger River crossing. We arrived after midnight without any issues other than two flat tires, at which time the convoy surrounded us for protection.
The next morning we met with Colonel Keba Sangare at Fort Elbekaye to get a briefing. He reiterated that security had improved dramatically since last April. He feels the populous is more involved in reporting any suspicious activity, since some of the Islamists have relatives living there. Over one thousand Islamists were driven out since the January incursion began. He further noted if the French troops were to leave it would be difficult to keep security in the region—the Islamists would come back.
With an escort of ten Malian military vehicles we went to Mahamadou’s town, Bourem Sidi-Amar, where over a thousand people lined the entry road waving Malian and French flags. The colonel assured the villagers that they could count on the military to protect them. In my conversation with several village elders they were thankful the Islamists were gone, since they inflicted some brutality on the people there.
In Timbuktu there was a peaceful feeling, with shops open and people walking everywhere. There were even young boys listening to music, which was forbidden under Sharia law. At the Hotel Colombe the owners were barely getting by with journalists and other media people staying there. They were hopeful that security would continue so that tourists could again arrive at the airport, the main access to Timbuktu.
On Thursday March 21, I was awakened at 4:00am by an explosion. At first it appeared to be a dream. Then reality set in as there was continuous gunfire, which seemed to last for several hours. At daybreak there were Mirage jets flying back and forth over Timbuktu. Soon we were asked to evacuate the hotel and go to the nearby military camp, where Colonel Sangare gave us a briefing. Five miles from the edge of town a car or pickup drove past a check point without stopping. In the fire-fight that followed the suicide bomber inside the vehicle detonated his belt, injuring seven Malian soldiers. Five insurgents were killed and one was captured. A Malian soldier was apparently killed by friendly fire. A second report indicated there were insurgents at the airport, and two suicide bombers were killed before they could detonate their belts. Timbuktu was under tight security and leaving the area was not recommended. No escort would be provided, so we were trapped.
Early Friday morning, in the hotel lobby Felix Lamo, a producer for a Swedish TV station alerted me that a UN Humanitarian Air Service plane was coming to pick up ten journalists, and suggested I call to see if I could get out with them, since there were no other options planned. Luckily with the help of the assistant regional security officer at the U.S. embassy in Bamako, who called the UN dispatcher, I was assured a seat on the plane. Under tight French security the plane departed for Mopti, where I arranged for a SUV for the fourteen hour drive back to Bamako. The aging vehicle was not forgiving, since it overheated every fifty miles, needing water which was not readily available at times. Getting within one hundred miles of my destination I called Yeah Samake, who was just leaving Timbuktu in a military convoy, who offered to have his driver in Bamako bring an SUV to rescue me.
In Timbuktu this was the first occurrence of a suicide bombing attack. In the town of Gao, the first such attack in the region, took place in early February. Gao again came under attack last Saturday when a number of Islamists entered the town from two directions and a firefight broke out with French, Malian and Nigerian soldiers. Reportedly four Islamists, one soldier and four civilians were killed.
The liberation of the northern towns of Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal may be short-lived, as hit-and-run Islamists continue their attacks. This means the extremists are still embedded in the region. Their new style of guerrilla tactics now includes suicide bombers attempting to infiltrate the towns, adding another dimension to their devastating brutality--scaring the local populace—and affecting the freedom of movement in the towns.