Human rights activists warn: Military coup will make peaceful resolution of Tuareg conflict impossible

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) condemns the coup in Mali. "This coup is a grievous setback for the democratization of West Africa," stated Ulrich Delius of the STP's Africa section on Thursday in Göttingen. "Furthermore, it negates all efforts toward a peaceful resolution of the Tuareg rebellion." The military council now in control intends to militarily crush the Tuareg liberation organization, National Movement for Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), in northern Mali. "The violent seizure of power by the military is a calamity for the civilian population fleeing the military attacks in the Tuareg region. The exodus will continue to grow."

Following the overthrow of elected president Amadou Toumani Touré, a military council took power in Mali at midday today. The military forces seek to justify the coup by claiming a lack of political and military support for the soldiers harried by Tuareg rebels. Last week opposition parties in Mali called for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks with the MNLA to end the civil war raging in the northern part of the country, but to no avail. "With the military council in power, no talks will be held with the Tuareg rebels, certainly not for the time being," warned Delius.

"It was foreseeable that the military would stage a coup, to distract attention from their heavy losses against the MNLA in the past two months," said the human rights activist. "This lets them make the toppled president – whose term would have ended in April anyway – into the scapegoat." But the actual situation of the army is more catastrophic than the forces care to admit, he continued. In the past eight weeks, they have lost control of some two-thirds the country's territory. Thousands of unmotivated soldiers have deserted, most of them fleeing to Algeria.

French and American intelligence sources have been complaining for months that the army is unable and unwilling to defeat the terrorist movement active in northern Mali, Al-Qaida au Maghreb Islamique (AQMI; the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb). In spite of training from French and American advisors, as well as new weapons and communications technology, no progress has been made in the battle against AQMI. "Some in the Malian army cooperate openly with AQMI, to save themselves from renewed fighting or to cover up their illegal drug dealing," said Delius.