Once again, an African country is drawn into the path of war

The Left Front shares the concern of Malians over the offensive of jihadi groups and understands the relief they feel at any action that would block its progression. For several months, extortion and summary executions carried out by these groups in the areas they control in the north illustrate the danger they pose to the freedom and dignity of the Malian people and its sovereignty. The French president decided to call in the French army. But this intervention now risks spiraling into a war with no foreseeable end and no real, lasting solution for the Malian people and the rebuilding of the country. There is a considerable risk of destabilization of the entire region, as we saw in Algeria with the recent hostage taking and its tragic ending.

The intervention was decided unilaterally, without regard to the rules established by the United Nations requiring advance approval by the Security Council and assigning the leading role to troops of the African Union, all with a view to respecting the sovereignty of Mali.

It was decided by the French Presidency without consulting Parliament. Its strategic objectives have not been defined, contrary to the commitments made by François Hollande when he was a presidential candidate.

It is not limited to air strikes. It commits thousands of French soldiers to a ground operation aiming to reconquer and occupy the north of Mali, outside of any established mandate.

It is undertaken at the same time that the government is implementing austerity policies in France that reduce spending in all areas but do not balk at the extraordinary costs of a war that will go on for a long time. Such sums would be more usefully spent on aid to cooperation in Africa, although the latter is continuing to decline.

The French intervention takes place in a region rich in oil, strategic minerals and uranium, which the big powers want to obtain at low prices while depriving countries of sovereign control over their natural resources. This applies particularly to France, which aims to control the Sahel region for the purpose of uranium mining by AREVA.

The intervention takes place in a former colony of France and will arouse opposition because it recalls the domination of French Africa that weakened governments and democracy in the region.

And it reinforces support to regimes in neighboring countries that are rejected by their peoples and their democratic opposition movements.

During his first visit to Africa last November, François Hollande stated, “In no case will France itself intervene in Mali.”

The Left Front demands a clarification of the strategic objectives of this intervention, including a public debate and a vote in Parliament now, and not “in four months” as announced by François Hollande.

The Left Front calls for an end to sending French ground troops for the reconquest of northern Mali. Any African force must be placed under a UN mandate. The integrity of Malian territory should be the responsibility of the Malian forces. The reconquest of national territory must not involve retributions against civilians in the north, notably Arabs or Tuaregs who have been wrongly lumped together and labeled “terrorists.”

Political solutions must prevail over the war drive. Restoration of Mali’s territorial sovereignty must go hand in hand with the reconstruction of a state, of democracy, of sovereignty over natural resources, negotiations over the rights of the Tuareg people and a constituent national process involving the people of Mali.

The Left Front defends and demands a different policy for France in Africa, breaking with the policies of domination and repeated military interventions which have only added to the burden on the African peoples of liberal globalization and structural adjustment policies imposed by the IMF and the big powers.

The Left Front supports the Malian people and calls for solidarity from all peoples through these difficult times.

By the Africa Collective, Left Front (France), January 29, 2013