UN: Islamic State almost doubled its territory in Mali in under a year (among other bad news)

[All Along The Watchtower]

Islamic State extremists have almost doubled the territory they control in Mali in less than a year, and their al-Qaida-linked rivals are capitalizing on the deadlock and perceived weakness of armed groups that signed a 2015 peace agreement, United Nations experts said in a new report.

(snip)

The panel of experts said in the report that the impasse in implementing the agreement — especially the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of combatants into society — is empowering al-Qaida-linked Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin known as JNIM to vie for leadership in northern Mali.

Sustained violence and attacks mostly by IS fighters in the Greater Sahara have also made the signatories to the peace deal "appear to be weak and unreliable security providers" for communities targeted by the extremists, the experts said.

(snip)

The panel said terrorist groups, armed groups that signed the 2015 agreement, and transnational organized crime rings are competing for control over trade and trafficking routes transiting through the northern regions of Gao and Kidal.

"Mali remains a hotspot for drug trafficking in West Africa and between coastal countries in the Gulf of Guinea and North Africa, in both directions," the experts said, adding that many of the main drug dealers are reported to be based in the capital Bamako.

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/26/1196189708/islamic-state-mali-al-qaida-west-africa-extremist

Very disturbing and grim.

[GeneralMacArthur]

When people talk about the forever wars or America "bombing Africa", what they're referring to are the ongoing U.S. military operations in Africa to try and prevent this sort of thing.

Terrorist organizations remain alive and well in many parts of the world despite our determination to pretend otherwise.

[PSOL]

From barely anything important, a 100% increase is serious stuff.

The concern trolling done by another hitpiece delivered out by the Military Industrial Complex against an US-unaligned nation is disgusting, and the people buying this nonsense for any sort of ill action are naïve at best.

[All Along The Watchtower]

From barely anything important, a 100% increase is serious stuff.

The concern trolling done by another hitpiece delivered out by the Military Industrial Complex against an US-unaligned nation is disgusting, and the people buying this nonsense for any sort of ill action are naïve at best.

"From barely anything important" you haven't been paying attention, as usual.

[CumbrianLefty]

From barely anything important, a 100% increase is serious stuff.

The concern trolling done by another hitpiece delivered out by the Military Industrial Complex against an US-unaligned nation is disgusting, and the people buying this nonsense for any sort of ill action are naïve at best.

"From barely anything important" you haven't been paying attention, as usual.

But, but - the entirely correct CLASSICAL MARXIST ANALYSIS of these events says......

[All Along The Watchtower]

Also I didn't realize a panel of UN experts were "the Military Industrial Complex" but I guess you learn something new every day  

[GeneralMacArthur]

Also I didn't realize a panel of UN experts were "the Military Industrial Complex" but I guess you learn something new every day  

The "military industrial complex" is literally anyone in a western country who advocates using military force towards achieving any goal whatsoever.

This is not me being sarcastic, this is actually my understanding of what the definition is, based on how people apply the term.

[PSOL]

Frankly a bunch of militants holding desert and killing one another is no concern for me. Mali should ask for assistance from the other junta members or Russia to help with the problem, let them shed money and blood.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Frankly a bunch of militants holding desert and killing one another is no concern for me. Mali should ask for assistance from the other junta members or Russia to help with the problem, let them shed money and blood.

This could literally be a quote from a thread about ISIS from 2014 and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.  Exact same sentiment.  I'm sure you were saying the exact same words back then.

[PSOL]

Frankly a bunch of militants holding desert and killing one another is no concern for me. Mali should ask for assistance from the other junta members or Russia to help with the problem, let them shed money and blood.

This could literally be a quote from a thread about ISIS from 2014 and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.  Exact same sentiment.  I'm sure you were saying the exact same words back then.

Back then that land had more than 2 million inhabitants, the land in Mali isn’t major cities—that’s controlled by the secular Tuaregs and Malian government.

Maybe Mali’s government should stop being prissy and get some local team to assist them if they don’t want foreign troops.