Even in death, Colonel Muammer Qaddafi still manages to stir up trouble. In what can seem like something out of the movie Sahara, there has been an upswing in violence between the government military of Mali and the rebel Tuareg fighters. While this conflict is not accompanied by two explorers on a search for a mysterious iron clad Civil War ship or World Heath Organization doctors tracing the origins of a killer toxin, the animosity between the two groups is still present.
A surprising, and yet not that surprising, twist is the involvement of Colonel Muammer Qaddafi in the growing fight. Known during life for causing uprisings in nations to the south of Libya, most notably in Chad and Angola, Colonel Qaddafi has managed to continue his trend posthumously. With his involvement in Mali, Colonel Qaddafi has not only caused instability in another African nation but managed to cause the instability in a nation that is seen as an ally against Al Qaeda in the region.
Government officials in Mali are no strangers to threats from the Tuaregs. Prior to the current threat, the Tuaregs have sought to overpower the Malian Army three times, the most recent being in 2006. There is a significant difference between the current struggle and previous ones. Tuareg fighters have a much larger arsenal of weapons courtesy of Colonel Qaddafi himself and are larger in numbers.
Many Tuareg fighters were in Libya, fighting alongside Colonel Qaddafi’s army. Tuareg fighters managed to bring back a considerable quantity of weapons to aid in the blossoming uprising that surprised the Malian government with its strength. Even without the weapons taken from Libya, Colonel Qaddafi’s presence would still be felt amongst the Tuareg fighters as the liberation movement is led by a former member of the Libyan army.
Despite the positive view Tuareg fighters have of Colonel Qaddafi presently, according to Pierre Boilly, a Tuareg expert, the Tuareg fighters distrusted Qaddafi based on a history of assistance and betrayal from the former leader of Libya. None of that seems to matter at the moment as the Tuareg fighters are gaining strength in numbers and territory.
Tuareg fighters have wasted no time in their quest to drive the Malian government out of the northern part of the country, aggressively attacking village after village. The government of Mali is becoming increasingly concerned with the latest threat. The number of casualties continues to grow for both the Malian Army and Tuareg fighters and thousands of civilians have been forced to flee the fighting, seeking out refuge in nearby countries.
In the Malian capital of Bamako, those loyal to the government army have begun showing their wavering support by staging protests on the handling of the the threat. Part of the problem for the Malian government was their belief that the Tuareg fighters would make the same showing as they have in the past. The government was not prepared for the strength and weaponry the Tuareg’s would present on this offensive.
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