Mens yderligtgående islamister regerer med hård sharia-hånd i hele den udstrakte nordlige del af ørkenlandet Mali i Vestafrika, kræver utålmodige borgere handling fra den bovlamme regering og dens demoraliserede militærstyrker.
SEVARE, 3 January 2013 (IRIN): Malians forced to live under strict religious rules since Islamist groups captured the country’s northern region nine months ago, and those who fled south, are frustrated by perceived central government inaction.
Some who fled have expressed their despair (fortvivlelse).
“I do not understand the government’s inaction and the response by the international community. Everybody is speaking, every day there are nice speeches, but no action on the ground,” said 38-year-old Amidou Maïga.
He fled from Timbuktu, a UNESCO-listed site now in the hands of the Islamists who have destroyed ancient tombs (gravmæler) and mosques there.
“The occupiers are violating people’s basic rights. They rape, steal, amputate and destroy property. In the meantime the politicians are fighting over positions in Bamako. It is very unfortunate. We in the north have been totally forgotten”, added he.
The Islamists have banned secular (verdslig) music, football and alcohol and reportedly meted out harsh punishments, including amputations, to those accused of flouting the prohibition (overtræde forbuddene).
Moumouni Damango, head of a crisis committee in the central town of Mopti, said the army should be given time to prepare for an offensive against the Islamist groups in the north:
“I perfectly understand the anger and the need to go to war, but they [people in the north] should know that an intervention is under way.”
Considering self-defence groups
Meanwhile, some civilians are considering joining a group offering combat training in the central town of Sévaré in the hope that it might push the government to act.
“As our army does not want to fight, if I get the chance I would not hesitate to join a self-defence group doing training. At least they know what they want -and they want to fight,” said Oumar Maïga, a resident of Gao, one of the key northern towns under Islamist control.
“I believe that if the government was doing more to help the displaced that would calm down the anger. But the NGOs are helping the displaced more than the authorities in Bamako,” said Moussa Cissé, of the aid group Fondation Orange.
The UN Security Council on 20 December 2012 authorized a military intervention in Mali, but troops are not expected on the ground until later this year.
Internal political strife
Mali’s interim government established after the 22 March coup is grappling with internal wrangles (kævl), not least of which was the forced resignation of the prime minister in December.
Former coup leader Amadou Haya Sanogo who forced Cheick Modibo Diarra from the premiership for allegedly blocking “political transition”, said preparations were under way to recapture the north.
Sanogo retains political influence despite handing over to a civilian authority after ousting former President Amadou Toumani Touré.
“Rest assured we are working on retaking the occupied regions. I cannot reveal the military strategy we are working on now. I understand that people are impatient and they are right”, Sanogo stated on 25 December, adding:
“The army is preparing and we are working to boost the morale of the troops. Going ahead and later making tactical retreats is out of the question. If we go to war, there is no turning back”.
Host families struggle
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http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97170/MALI-Frustration-over-government-inaction
