The Situation In Mali Is About To Take A Turn For The Worse

Disaster Looms For People Of Mali As Country Is Split By Revolt -- CNN

(CNN) -- Africa has seen some ugly divorces in recent times: Eritrea and Ethiopia, Sudan and South Sudan. Now Mali is threatened with partition as a rebellion flares in the north and political uncertainty grips the capital, Bamako. Mali's neighbors and western governments are looking on anxiously as drug traffickers and Islamist groups affiliated with al Qaeda take advantage of the vacuum -- in a region already blighted by hunger, poverty and weak government.

The origins of Mali's collapse are twofold. In January, Tuareg rebels began attacking towns in the vast deserts of northern Mali. Many had recently returned from fighting for Moammar Gadhafi in Libya, bringing guns and vehicles with them. Then, on March 22, there was a coup by mid-ranking officers in Mali's army angry with corruption and the lack of resources for fighting the rebellion.

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My Comment: Poverty. Tribalism. Inhospitable terrain. Heavily armed groups. It is amazing that Mali has been able to keep it together this long .... unfortunately .... the future definitely looks bleak right now.