Mali

Democracy beyond the ballot box has been hard to come by for millions of Malians. By Brandon County, Brian Peterson What does it mean when civil society groups in rural southern Mali like the Syndicate of Peasants of Mali announce their support for the military junta, and its National Committee for Recovering Democracy and Restoring […] More

What motivated Mali’s unlikely mutineers and what lies in store for Mali’s political system? By James Schneider Rebellious Malian soldiers declared today they had taken power, removing President Amadou Toumani Touré. The coup is led by junior officers disgruntled by the government’s failure to put down a rebellion by Tuareg separatists in the north of […] More

By Andy Morgan. The Tuareg rebels’ recent attacks represent a fourth roll of the Kel Tamasheq dice. “Long live Azawad!” “May Allah bless Mali!” Through December and early January, the tone of the exchanges on various Tuareg chat forums was expectant, frustrated, even desultory at times. Everybody knew something big was about to happen. They […] More