Trouble In Timbuktu
The fall of Muammar Gadhafi, Libya's long-time dictator, seems to have given rise to more crisis in the region. Firstly, Libya itself is still in chaos with a power struggle between the many warring tribes. But, now trouble seems to have spilled across the border.
Mali, a landlocked country in Northwest Africa is in the midst of a military coup. Mali's President, Amadou Toure was overthrown by his army, which has taken control of the capital Bamako and suspended the constitution. The community of West African States sent five if its leaders to negotiate with the coup leaders. They were however forced to turn back mid-air, as citizens supporting the coup took over the airport runway and prevented a landing.
The West African nations have given the coup leaders a 72-hour warning to hand back power, else face sanctions that would isolate the country. So why did the army take over control? Were they unhappy with the President? Well, it turns out the situation is trickier than that, and has to do with Gadhafi!
The nomadic Tuaregs
The Tuaregs are among the last tribes in Saharan Africa who still follow a nomadic way of life. The Tuaregs once ruled over much of of North Africa. When the Arabs invaded Africa, the Tuaregs were pushed into the remote deserts. Over the next two thousand years, they operated the trans-Saharan caravan that connected the cities in the south of the Sahara with the Mediterranean coast. Tuareg warriors demanded bribes from traveling caravans and raided settlements along the Niger river. The Tuaregs were finally brought under Western control after France won a hard fought battle with Tuareg warriors in the deserts of Algeria.
Nowadays, the majority of nomadic Tuaregs live in Mali and neighboring Niger. They have felt left out of Malian society, and have staged three major rebellions since the mid 1960s. They are demanding a separate state -- Azawad, be carved out for them in the northern part of the state.
Trained by Gadhafi
The Tuaregs caught the fancy of Muammar Gadhafi in the 1970s, who enlisted them to serve as his personal guards, and trained them to fight wars. With the fall of Gadhafi, there was no place in Libya for the Tuaregs, and it is believed nearly 8,000 returned home to Mali. They joined an exiled Tuareg leader, Ibrahim Bahanga, and have mounted another rebellion in January. This time, the Malian army is no match for the heavily armed Tuaregs.
As desert cities started falling to Tuareg control, the army was getting desperate. They blamed their President for not supporting the army's fight against the Tuaregs even though that was not the case, and have overthrown their leader. This has complicated issues, and the country is divided between supporters of the coup and those who want the President back.
A divided country is surely easy target for the Tuareg rebels, who have conquered the eastern part of Mali and are quickly approaching the ancient city of Timbuktu. It is indeed unfortunate that one of the most stable democracies in Africa is now in serious trouble.
Notes
Have you heard of the phrase "From here to Timbuktu"? Well, as it turns out Timbuktu is not an imaginary, exotic place, but a real city in the West African country of Mali. As legend goes, the Tuareg nomads of Mali would entrust their belongings before their long journey to an old woman who lived by the well. Her name was Tin Abutut. The name changed over time to Timbuktu.
Timbuktu was at the center of a major nomadic trade route, and hence the phrase "From here to Timbuktu"!
that is awful!
Wow war is bad
war that is horrible
Question: Is it just me, or did I predict this? ALL the WAYYYY back when Egypt was revolting, I predicted that this would lead to total and utter chaos. And that the Muslim Brotherhood would gain the upper hand. And that Egypt would NOT become stronger, but in fact grow weaker....
Mali rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this is major damage to them and the bad thing is they are poor
I feel sorry for them. They're poor
WOW, this is not good...
Cool!
cool name
This is trouble indeed
Why can't people cooperate with each other and share their ideas for the better. Rebellions will lead to war and people will die...
If Malians and Tuaregs cooperate then there would be no problem...
Exactly.
this is so sad because i have read so many articles having to do with the middle east, terrorists, rebels and it is sad our world is filled with so much distress
timbuktu is cool! i mean how it got its name is sweet and silly! tin abutut to timbuktu!
So sad....
oh that is bad
Oh, I never knew Timbuktu was a real place, I always thought it was some made-up name.
Anyway, I wonder why a small portion of Mali can't be given to the Tuerags, instead of fighting, and causing chaos? I mean, isn't there a more peaceful way of solving this whole issue?
Yes Sammy02, Timbuktu is a real place and interesting how it got its name. Did you see the side notes?
Mali has had a stable democratic government until the recent rebellion. One reason Mali may not want to give independence is because the Tuaregs do not have experience governing a country and have largely followed a nomadic lifestyle. Carving a separate country is not always a solution, as it can lead to trouble elements taking over a fragile state. One approach is more autonomy for the region, but still under Mali's government. But there has to be a stable leadership among the Tuaregs for this to happen.
Oh, I guess I missed the side notes! At least now I know this place is real!
But what if the Tuerags just blended in with the people of Mali, and lived a peaceful life among them, then then they would be no need for another country?
Yes, that would be ideal. Well, it is a case of lack of education among the nomadic Tuaregs and as a result, a lack of representation in the government. Mali's government needs to provide for the Tuaregs as well.
I suppose it takes a struggle for both sides to understand each other's frustrations, and hopefully it will lead to peace in the long run. For now, the situation is not good..