Rumours of war

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/08/mali-army-attacks-islamist-rebels Well.actually, no. The Malian Army has not attacked Islamists Rebels. But they have successfully defended their position at Kona their northernmost outpost, 55km north of Mopti. There have been no casualties and no army captives and the Islamists have been repelled. The Guardian is reporting this story as if there would somehow be something wrong, should Mali indeed have decided to attack. Would the Guardian please explain themselves? They write the following: In November, Ansar Dine leader Iyad Ag Ghali, the former Tuareg leader and Malian diplomat who joined fundamentalist rebels during a consular posting in Saudi Arabia, agreed to a deal that would see a halt in rebel advances and the safe passage of humanitarian groups working in the region.(This is presenting Ag Ghali as some sort of humanitarian hero, trying to save the suffering multitudes in the North, when it was in fact his gang of assorted criminals that caused the mayhem in the first place!) But increasingly belligerent rhetoric by the Malian government in recent weeks and mounting public pressure to reclaim the north is reported to have angered the group, which last week told journalists that they would no longer honour the terms of the deal. Sahel-based Sahara Media reported Ag Ghali as saying in a statement that his group "put on hold an offer we've previously made to the Malian government to stop hostilities in northern Mali". Ag Ghali accused the Malian government of preparing for war during peace talks, including "large-scale recruitment of fighters, including former mercenaries from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast". Of course Mali are only engaged in peace talks as a cosmetic excercise because they are forced to do so by international opinion! And this opinion is way out of order. There is absolutely nothing that can be said, or any fruitful exchange to be attempted with these sorts of opponents. The words ‘negotiation’ sounds so civilized. It is cheap too of course, which makes it even more attractive. But there are times when it does not work. This is one of those times. If Mali were to decide to attack, they would have every right to do so! The north of their country is held by narco traffiquants and murderous Al Quaida fundamentalists! This Ag Ghali cannot speak for anything at all, apart from his little faction- Ansar Dine holds Kidal. The rest of the North- including Timbuktu and Gao, is held by other warlords. The Guardian makes me laugh. Do not talk about this criminal Ag Ghali as if he is someone that deserves to be listened to- I despair! ‘But increasingly belligerent rhetoric by the Malian government in recent weeks and mounting public pressure to reclaim the north is reported to have angered the group,’ Oh dear! One mustn’t upset the poor darlings must one! This is reported as if the Malian Government are the ones at fault here! I am about to have a coronary..