US backs African military intervention in north Mali

US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Johnnie Carson, said that his country is ready to back any African-led force in Mali. However, only on the condition that it is led by the Malian army, supported by its neighbouring countries, and is under the supervision of the United Nation. He also insisted that “any military action up there must indeed be well planned, well organized, well resourced, and well thought through. And it must, in fact, be agreed upon by those who are going to be most affected by it.” Carson explained that the militants in Mali must be dealt with through security and military means to help fight the terrorists in the north who have been occupying the region for more than five months. The US official said in the press conference that Mali’s government has also asked for military intervention from the 16-nation Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, which has intervened in other African conflicts, such as Mauritania and Algeria. The French and German governments also showed their readiness to provide logistic support to the African-led forces which intend to intervene in Mali. After his tour of the Maghreb, General Carter F. Ham, commander of US Africa Command (AFRICOM) expressed his hope that the crisis raging in northern Mali could be resolved via the political and diplomatic route. Meanwhile, according to local sources, on Tuesday, Ansar Dine, the Islamist movement led by Iyad Ag Ghali that has claimed control of Mali’s northeast region, carried out its first execution for qisas (retaliation). The sources said it took place in Bathaa Gaddafi Square, in Timbuktu. The man executed, 40 year Ali Moussa, had been accused of killing another man in the same city.