Ethnic tension and warlord dynamics – settling accounts in northern Mali

Given the 20 year history of massacres and killings in the region, economic incentives to control power, huge escalation in weaponry over last year, and disarray in Malian army, it seems too much to think that suddenly there would be a return to peace and security.  I am skeptical that the overwhelming military superiority of the French force would change the dynamic.  When the French occupied the region in the 1890s, they could destroy any organized force within months, but they could not be everywhere at the same time, so there were lots of little rebellions and inter-warlord conflicts.  Presumably a similar dynamic will unfold in the coming year.

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About mkevane

Economist at Santa Clara University and Director of Friends of African Village Libraries.
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