French-Backed Mali Government Forces Launch Counter-Offensive

Backed by French forces, Mali government armed forces Friday launched a counter-offensive to take back control of the city of Kona, which was seized yesterday by Islamist rebels, according to the Malian and international media.

France’s foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, confirmed the French air force has carried out an air strike in Mali to support government forces, but declined to give more details about the military operation, reports the VOA.

Bamako military officers announced “a large-scale offensive that will proceed, backed by bombings against enemy positions”, reports the Journal du Mali. Residents of nearby Sévaré, 60km south of Kona, in the central region of Mopti, a few hours ago reported the arrival of military planes and reinforcement troops, as also the presence of “foreign soldiers.Also the ‘Koaci.com’ news site quotes Malian military sources saying that “on Thursday night two French helicopters arrived from nearby Burkina Faso and have alreay taken action in Kona and Douentza” (145km north-east of the provincial capital Mopti), reports MISNA.

Local MISNA sources also confirmed the involvement of foreign forces on the ground.

“In our offices of Sévaré, we received news of the landing of military planes and presence of French and German troops. There is growing fear in the city over the next developments and the people have barricaded themselves in their homes”, said to MISNA from Bamako, Moktar Mariko, president of the Malian human rights association (AMDH).

Citing other sources, MISNA reports that dozens of Malian soldiers who a few months ago had been forced to withdraw into neighboring Niger from the northern regions controlled by the Islamists and Tuareg, have now returned into Malian territory to launch an offensive against Gao.

“This military intervention is needed to end the months of suffering of the people in the north, whose rights to health, foo and education are denied”, stressed Mariko, deploring that “all attempts at dialogue with the rebels were futile”. He however warned of the risk that, as in all military operations, “the civilians will suffer the direct consequences, with violations and violence at the hands of both the rebels and some elements of the Malian army,” according to MISNA.