Reports of human rights violations and ethnic tensions in Mali:
- Amnesty International: “The Malian army has committed serious human rights breaches plus violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) during the ongoing conflict against armed groups in the country, including extrajudicial executions of civilians.”
- Human Rights Watch: “Malian government forces summarily executed at least 13 suspected Islamist supporters and forcibly disappeared five others from the garrison town of Sévaré and in Konna during January 2013…Islamist armed groups in Konna executed at least seven Malian soldiers, five of whom were wounded, and used children as soldiers in combat.”
- AP: “Northerners living in the central and southern parts of Mali say they have faced discrimination and fear of reprisals by those who blame the country’s problems on anyone who looks Tuareg or Arab.”
- IRIN: “The Dynamics of Inter-Communal Violence in Mali.”
- IRIN: “Killings, Disappearances in Mali’s Climate of Suspicion.”
Yesterday, Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono began an eight-day tour of the Middle East and Africa.
After a two-day stay in Monrovia, the delegation will fly to Abuja, Nigeria, for a state visit. Yudhoyono said he would utilize his bilateral meeting with Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to seek new economic opportunities.
[…]
From Nigeria, Yudhoyono will then fly to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on a working visit. He and his wife will also make a minor pilgrimage to Mecca and Madina.
The government will set up business meetings in both in Abuja and Jeddah that will feature top businesspeople in both countries.
“Indonesia has become one of the greatest investment destinations in the world. We want more real cooperation, particularly with the Middle-East,” Yudhoyono said.
Yudhoyono plans to conclude his trip by attending the 12th Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Cairo, Egypt on Feb. 6, despite unrest in some Egyptian cities.
Reuters: “Gunmen Kill Five North Nigeria Police, Ceasefire in Doubt.”
Magharebia: “Mauritania Arrests Salafists.”
At least 300 refugees from Sudan’s South Kordofan are crossing the border into Yida, South Sudan’s largest refugee camp, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said.
The influx of refugees, it says, calls for creation of new sites away from the “volatile” border area where Yida, currently hosting an estimated 61,000 Sudanese refugees, is located. The move, it added, seeks to ensure the safety of the refugees and maintain the civilian character of the settlement.
Al Jazeera: “Q&A: Kenya’s Upcoming Elections.”
What else is happening?
Sahel Blog 
General Electric to invest $1 billion in Nigeria: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=112151
Unfortunately I can’t say that I’m at all surprised to hear that. I suspect that the war for Mali’s north is going to continue for years, if not decades.
On the Niger tamtam site couple of comments were that Azawad will become another South Sudan. For that to happen there has to be economic development for all the people in that area.
Current, as of last night, Interview of LaMonde with Issoufou (french) Nevertheless, some form of radical Islam is not it progressing in your country?
To see the full interview broadcast Sunday, February 3 at 18:10 on TV5 Monde: http://www.internationales.fr
http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2013/02/03/mahamadou-issoufou-le-mnla-n-est-pas-representatif-du-peuple-touareg-au-mali_1826471_3212.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#xtor=RSS-3208001
Thanks Liz, this is really interesting.
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Not sure which entry in the blog should be responding. Here is another (french) on Issoufou interview with International RFI. http://www.tamtaminfo.com/index.php/politique/9797-mahamadou-issoufou-sur-rfi—le-mnla-nest-pas-representatif-du-peuple-touareg-
What I noted was he also brought up the artificial boundaries of countries as has already been stated here. And in the above interview he stated it would have been just not Bamako, but Niamey and all the other countries capitols.
On the MNLA Issoufou has been against them from the start. Perhaps because he knows the ethnic problems — discrimination and repercussions – perhaps because he does not want that in northern Niger. There was a rep from the MNLA on tamtam site that last year just begged him to see there points. Rep got nowhere. When he asked why? seemed to me that Issoufou’s answer was because I said so.