FRENCH CLASH WITH ISLAMISTS IN NORTH MALI

February 7, 2013

French and Malian troops clashed with Islamist militants near the main northern Mali town of Gao, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday.

“There were clashes yesterday around Gao,” Le Drian said. He added that the current force of 4,000 French troops in Mali would be the maximum deployed.

Meanwhile diplomats and experts have warned about a UN peacekeeping mission that the major powers want for Mali will need several years to sort out the West African country’s problems.

On top of a feared guerrilla campaign by Al-Qaeda linked militants, the UN troops who take over from a French-African force also face a major task reconciling the Bamako government with ethnic Tuaregs in northern Mali.

France is pursuing attacks against Islamist militants in the north while working on a UN Security Council resolution that would set up a peacekeeping force, UN diplomats said.

While detailed planning is underway, the force’s size, makeup and mandate cannot be decided until France ends military strikes and decides its future military presence in the country, diplomats added.

French troops arrived on 10th January to halt a rebel surge toward the capital Bamako.

President Francois Hollande has said he wants to get French forces out quickly but will stay “as long as it takes.”

Hollande and US Vice President Joe Biden said this week they want a quick transition to a UN force.

The UN mission could get an initial mandate of 12 months, said one UN diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because of ongoing negotiations.

“But clearly this cannot be sorted out in that time. There are major problems between the government and the Tuaregs, so the UN will be there for several years,” the diplomat said. “It’s going to take years to achieve the end outcome. But I hope it will only take months to achieve a secure enough environment,” said a European Union official in Brussels.

EU military trainers are expected to start arriving in Mali next week.