Ivory Coast Wants UN-Backed Military Action in Mali

August 01, 2012 from VOA News

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara is making a renewed push for UN-backed military intervention in Mali, to stem the advance by Islamist rebel forces linked to al-Qaeda, and he says troops could be on the ground within weeks. Meanwhile the President rebuffed criticism that the pace of reconciliation in his own country is slowing. Henry Ridgwell reports.

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Mali

Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali is bordered by Algeria to the north, Niger to the east, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire to the south, Guinea to the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania to the west. Its size is just over 1,24... Explore this topic

Alassane Ouattara

Alassane Ouattara is an Ivoirian politician who has been President of Côte d'Ivoire since 2011. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund - where he rose to be deputy head - and the Central Bank of West African States, and he was the Prime... Explore this topic

2012 insurgency in the Azawad

The Tuareg Rebellion of 2012 was an early stage of the 2012 northern Mali conflict; from January to April 2012, a war was waged against the Malian government by rebels with the goal of attaining independence for the northern region of Mali, known as Azawad. It was led by the N... Explore this topic

2012 Malian coup d'etat

The 2012 Malian coup d'état began on 21 March, when mutinying Malian soldiers, displeased with the management of the Tuareg rebellion, attacked several locations in the capital Bamako, including the presidential palace, state television, and military barracks. The soldiers, wh... Explore this topic

Military of Mali

Mali's armed forces are the Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Guard, and National Police (Sûreté Nationale). They number some 7,000 and are under the control of the Minister of Armed Forces and Veterans. The IISS Military Balance 2009 lists an Army of 7,... Explore this topic

Islamism

Islamism is a set of ideologies holding that "Islam should guide social and political as well as personal life". Islamism is a controversial neologism, and definitions of it sometimes vary. Leading Islamist thinkers emphasize the implementation of Sharia; of pan-Islamic politi... Explore this topic

Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast or Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country in West Africa. It has an area of 322,462 square kilometres, and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The co... Explore this topic

Dioncounda Traoré

Dioncounda Traoré is a Malian politician who has been President of Mali in an interim capacity since April 2012. He has been President of the National Assembly of Mali since September 2007, and President of the Alliance for Democracy in Mali-African Party for Solidarity and Ju... Explore this topic

Ansar Dine

Ansar Dine means "helpers of the religion" or "defenders of the faith" in Arabic. Ansar Dine is a militant Islamist group led by Iyad Ag Ghaly, one of the most prominent leaders of the Tuareg rebellion in the 1990s. He is suspected of having ties with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic M... Explore this topic

ECOWAS

The Economic Community of West African States is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region. Considered one of the pillars of the African ... Explore this topic

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Mali

Alassane Ouattara

2012 insurgency in the Azawad

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