africom related news clips 26 march 2012

8/2/2019 AFRICOM Related News Clips 26 March 2012

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United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

26 March 2012

USAFRICOM - related news stories

Good morning. Please see today's news review for March 26, 2012. This new format isbest viewed in HTML.

Of interest in today's report:- Leader of Mali's coup trained in U.S.- Mali's capital returning to normal, north threatened- African Union suspends Mali over military coup- "I will not cling to power," Mali coup leader says

- Tuareg rebels advance as Mali junta asserts control- 5,000 sent to fight Kony; AU to make push against rebels- Violence erupts in Nigeria; Kidnapping shows 2 terror groups in North Nigeria- Somalia pirates: EU approves attacks on land bases

U.S. Africa Command Public AffairsPlease send questions or comments to:[email protected] (+49-711-729-2687)

Headline Date Outlet

Leader of Mali military coup trained inU.S.

03/26/2012 Washington Post

The leader of a military coup in the West African country of Mali received military training in the United States on"several" occasions, a U.S. defense official said Friday. Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo, who led a renegade militaryfaction that on Thursday de...

Mali's Amadou Sanogo emerges fromobscurity to head junta

03/26/2012 AFP

BAMAKO -- Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo, once a US-trained English instructor to his fellow Malian officers, hasemerged as the leader of a military junta which ousted a democratic regime. The middle-aged non-commissionedofficer comes from Segou, Mali's thir...

Mali's capital returning to normal,north threatened

03/25/2012 Reuters

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Life in Mali's capital slowly returned to normal on Sunday after most mutinous soldiersreturned to their barracks, but rebels exploiting a military coup in the country pushed towards three northern towns.Petrol stations and market stal...

Leaders of Mali's Military Coup Seemto Have Uncertain Grasp on Power

03/24/2012 New York Times

DAKAR, Senegal -- Mali's military coup leaders struggled on three fronts Friday, as international condemnationmounted, an insurrection by nomadic tribesmen in the north gained ground and the junta was forced to condemnlooting by its own troops in the cap...

African Union suspends Mali overmilitary coup

03/24/2012 France 24

The African Union has added its voice to the chorus of condemnation of Thursday's military coup in Mali,suspending the country from its ranks. The West African economic bloc ECOWAS will convene a special meeting
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/leader-of-mali-military-coup-trained-in-us/2012/03/23/gIQAS7Q6WS_print.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/leader-of-mali-military-coup-trained-in-us/2012/03/23/gIQAS7Q6WS_print.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/leader-of-mali-military-coup-trained-in-us/2012/03/23/gIQAS7Q6WS_print.htmlhttp://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKfcClpqsgmCJ-oqG3TRz_rPtrPg?docId=CNG.76de66623d27843aae4cf615363bc4a9.6f1http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKfcClpqsgmCJ-oqG3TRz_rPtrPg?docId=CNG.76de66623d27843aae4cf615363bc4a9.6f1http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKfcClpqsgmCJ-oqG3TRz_rPtrPg?docId=CNG.76de66623d27843aae4cf615363bc4a9.6f1http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKfcClpqsgmCJ-oqG3TRz_rPtrPg?docId=CNG.76de66623d27843aae4cf615363bc4a9.6f1http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKfcClpqsgmCJ-oqG3TRz_rPtrPg?docId=CNG.76de66623d27843aae4cf615363bc4a9.6f1http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKfcClpqsgmCJ-oqG3TRz_rPtrPg?docId=CNG.76de66623d27843aae4cf615363bc4a9.6f1http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/us-mali-army-idUSBRE82O0BE20120325http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/us-mali-army-idUSBRE82O0BE20120325http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/us-mali-army-idUSBRE82O0BE20120325http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/in-mali-coup-leaders-seem-to-have-uncertain-grasp-on-power.html?_r=1&ref=worldhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/in-mali-coup-leaders-seem-to-have-uncertain-grasp-on-power.html?_r=1&ref=worldhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/in-mali-coup-leaders-seem-to-have-uncertain-grasp-on-power.html?_r=1&ref=worldhttp://www.france24.com/en/20120323-african-union-suspends-mali-over-military-coup-ecowas-summithttp://www.france24.com/en/20120323-african-union-suspends-mali-over-military-coup-ecowas-summithttp://www.france24.com/en/20120323-african-union-suspends-mali-over-military-coup-ecowas-summitmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20African%20Union%20suspends%20Mali%20over%20military%20coup...&body=African%20Union%20suspends%20Mali%20over%20military%20coup%0A03/24/2012%0AFrance%2024%20-%20Online%0A%0AThe%20African%20Union%20has%20added%20its%20voice%20to%20the%20chorus%20of%20condemnation%20of%20Thursday%27s%20military%20coup%20in%20Mali,%20suspending%20the%20country%20from%20its%20ranks.%20The%20West%20African%20economic%20bloc%20ECOWAS%20will%20convene%20a%20special%20meeting%20on%20Tuesday%20to%20discuss%20the%20crisis.AFP%20-%20...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.france24.com/en/20120323-african-union-suspends-mali-over-military-coup-ecowas-summithttp://www.france24.com/en/20120323-african-union-suspends-mali-over-military-coup-ecowas-summithttp://www.france24.com/en/20120323-african-union-suspends-mali-over-military-coup-ecowas-summitmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Leaders%20of%20Mali%27s%20Military%20Coup%20Seem%20to%20Have%20Uncertain%20Grasp%20on%20Power...&body=Leaders%20of%20Mali%27s%20Military%20Coup%20Seem%20to%20Have%20Uncertain%20Grasp%20on%20Power%0A03/24/2012%0ANew%20York%20Times%20-%20Online,%20The%0A%0ADAKAR,%20Senegal%20--%20Mali%27s%20military%20coup%20leaders%20struggled%20on%20three%20fronts%20Friday,%20as%20international%20condemnation%20mounted,%20an%20insurrection%20by%20nomadic%20tribesmen%20in%20the%20north%20gained%20ground%20and%20the%20junta%20was%20forced%20to%20condemn%20looting%20by%20its%20own%20troops%20in%20the%20cap...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/in-mali-coup-leaders-seem-to-have-uncertain-grasp-on-power.html?ref=worldhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/in-mali-coup-leaders-seem-to-have-uncertain-grasp-on-power.html?_r=1&ref=worldhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/in-mali-coup-leaders-seem-to-have-uncertain-grasp-on-power.html?_r=1&ref=worldmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Mali%27s%20capital%20returning%20to%20normal,%20north%20threatened...&body=Mali%27s%20capital%20returning%20to%20normal,%20north%20threatened%0A03/25/2012%0AReuters%20-%20Online%0A%0ABAMAKO%20(Reuters)%20-%20Life%20in%20Mali%27s%20capital%20slowly%20returned%20to%20normal%20on%20Sunday%20after%20most%20mutinous%20soldiers%20returned%20to%20their%20barracks,%20but%20rebels%20exploiting%20a%20military%20coup%20in%20the%20country%20pushed%20towards%20three%20northern%20towns.Petrol%20stations%20and%20market%20s...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/us-mali-army-idUSBRE82O0BE20120325http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/us-mali-army-idUSBRE82O0BE20120325http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/us-mali-army-idUSBRE82O0BE20120325mailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Mali%27s%20Amadou%20Sanogo%20emerges%20from%20obscurity%20to%20head%20junta...&body=Mali%27s%20Amadou%20Sanogo%20emerges%20from%20obscurity%20to%20head%20junta%0A03/26/2012%0AAFP%0A%0ABAMAKO%20--%20Captain%20Amadou%20Haya%20Sanogo,%20once%20a%20US-trained%20Englis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protected]


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on Tuesday to discuss the crisis.

'I will not cling to power', Mali coupleader says

03/24/2012 Africa Review

The leader of this week's coup in Mali says he has no intention of staying in power. Capt Amadou Sanogo said hewould stand down after making sure the army, which is fighting ethnic Tuareg rebels in the north, was able tosecure the country. He also said f...

UN, AU tell Mali junta to go 03/24/2012 ReutersBamako - A delegation of UN and African officials has told the military junta that seized power in Mali onWednesday night to hand back power, saying its plan to fix Mali's problems and restore security before steppingdown will not work. The message was d...

Confusion reigns in wake of Mali coupd'etat

03/25/2012 France 24

The streets of Bamako were deserted Sunday in the wake of the coup d'etat. The coup leader said on state TV thatthe putschists were in control, but some soldiers were still looting and firing off volleys in the capital, terrifyingresidents.

Tuareg rebels advance as Mali juntaasserts control

03/25/2012 AFP

Tuareg rebels closed in on a key city in northern Mali Sunday, taking advantage of a power vacuum in Bamakowhere putschists insisted they were in firm control after ousting the government. As the junta condemned

widespread looting in the capital and strug...

Mali: Kenyan evacuation flight fails toland

03/25/2012 Africa Online

A Nigerian chartered flight failed to land in Bamako, the Malian capital, to evacuate stranded Kenyan foreignminister Moses Wetang'ula and three officials on Saturday, following insecurity on the ground as looting continuedafter Thursday's military coup ...

U.S. aid to Mali at risk after coup 03/24/2012 CNN

Bamako, Mali (CNN) -- U.S. aid to Mali could "very seriously be affected," a U.S. State Department spokeswomansaid Friday, a day after renegade soldiers staged a coup in the young African democracy. The United States givesMali's government roughly $140 m...

5,000 sent to fight Kony 03/25/2012 Daily Monitor

Three years after the end of Operation Lightning Thunder that failed to capture the elusive Lord's Resistance Armyrebel leader Joseph Kony, the African Union has launched another attempt to get him, this time round, with a force

of 5,000 soldiers. The AU ...

African Union to Make Push AgainstRebels

03/24/2012 New York Times

KAMPALA, Uganda -- The African Union announced Friday that it would launch a new regional military operationagainst the Lord's Resistance Army, the vicious Ugandan rebel group that has been terrorizing parts of centralAfrica for more than 20 years. The ...

Anti-Kony campaign in turmoil as AUsends troops

03/24/2012 News24

Los Angeles - The public meltdown of the man behind the viral "Kony 2012" video has thrown his campaign intoturmoil even as the film succeeded in turning the world's attention to capturing an elusive and brutal Ugandanwarlord. Attempts by regional forces...

EU to train security forces in Africa's

Sahel

03/24/2012 Reuters

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union agreed on Friday to send experts to Africa's Sahel region to trainsecurity forces, particularly in Niger which faces a growing Islamist threat, and to increase food aid. The Councilsaid the mission would be deploye...

Violence erupts in Nigeria 03/25/2012 News24

Maiduguri - An hours-long gun battle raged on Saturday in a northern Nigerian city that's the spiritual home of aradical Islamist sect, and a car bomb exploded during a gun fight with members of the group in another city in therestive region, authorities...

Kidnapping Shows 2 Terror Groups in 03/24/2012 Associated Press
http://www.africareview.com/News/Mali+coup+leader+says+he+will+not+cling+to+power/-/979180/1372544/-/4xerkqz/-/index.htmlhttp://www.africareview.com/News/Mali+coup+leader+says+he+will+not+cling+to+power/-/979180/1372544/-/4xerkqz/-/index.htmlhttp://www.africareview.com/News/Mali+coup+leader+says+he+will+not+cling+to+power/-/979180/1372544/-/4xerkqz/-/index.htmlhttp://www.news24.com/Africa/News/UN-AU-tell-Mali-junta-to-go-20120324http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/UN-AU-tell-Mali-junta-to-go-20120324http://www.france24.com/en/20120325-mali-coup-leaders-try-control-sanogo-bamakohttp://www.france24.com/en/20120325-mali-coup-leaders-try-control-sanogo-bamakohttp://www.france24.com/en/20120325-mali-coup-leaders-try-control-sanogo-bamakohttp://www.africareview.com/News/Tuareg+rebels+advance+as+Mali+junta+asserts+control/-/979180/1373282/-/13imb1mz/-/index.htmlhttp://www.africareview.com/News/Tuareg+rebels+advance+as+Mali+junta+asserts+control/-/979180/1373282/-/13imb1mz/-/index.htmlhttp://www.africareview.com/News/Tuareg+rebels+advance+as+Mali+junta+asserts+control/-/979180/1373282/-/13imb1mz/-/index.htmlhttp://www.afriquejet.com/mali-kenyan-evacuation-flight-fails-to-land-2012032535617.htmlhttp://www.afriquejet.com/mali-kenyan-evacuation-flight-fails-to-land-2012032535617.htmlhttp://www.afriquejet.com/mali-kenyan-evacuation-flight-fails-to-land-2012032535617.htmlhttp://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/23/world/africa/mali-coup/http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/23/world/africa/mali-coup/http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1372906/-/awrcw1z/-/index.htmlhttp://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1372906/-/awrcw1z/-/index.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/african-union-to-make-push-against-rebels.html?ref=worldhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/african-union-to-make-push-against-rebels.html?ref=worldhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/african-union-to-make-push-against-rebels.html?ref=worldhttp://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Anti-Kony-campaign-in-turmoil-as-AU-sends-troops-20120324http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Anti-Kony-campaign-in-turmoil-as-AU-sends-troops-20120324http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Anti-Kony-campaign-in-turmoil-as-AU-sends-troops-20120324http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE82N00S20120324?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FAFRICATopNews+%28News+%2F+AFRICA+%2F+Top+News%29http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE82N00S20120324?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FAFRICATopNews+%28News+%2F+AFRICA+%2F+Top+News%29http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE82N00S20120324?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FAFRICATopNews+%28News+%2F+AFRICA+%2F+Top+News%29http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Violence-erupts-in-Nigeria-20120325http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Violence-erupts-in-Nigeria-20120325http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/03/24/world/africa/ap-af-nigeria-terror-in-the-north.html?ref=global-homehttp://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/03/24/world/africa/ap-af-nigeria-terror-in-the-north.html?ref=global-homemailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Kidnapping%20Shows%202%20Terror%20Groups%20in%20North%20Nigeria...&body=Kidnapping%20Shows%202%20Terror%20Groups%20in%20North%20Nigeria%0A03/24/2012%0AAssociated%20Press%0A%0ALAGOS,%20Nigeria%20(AP)%20--%20Al-Qaida%27s%20North%20Africa%20branch%20this%20week%20claimed%20the%20January%20abduction%20of%20a%20German%20hostage%20in%20north%20Nigeria,%20and%20provided%20a%20video%20of%20the%20terrified%20man%20begging%20for%20his%20life%20as%20men%20carrying%20Kalashnikov%20rifles%20stood%20behind%20him.The%20c...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/03/24/world/africa/ap-af-nigeria-terror-in-the-north.html?ref=global-homehttp://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/03/24/world/africa/ap-af-nigeria-terror-in-the-north.html?ref=global-homehttp://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/03/24/world/africa/ap-af-nigeria-terror-in-the-north.html?ref=global-homemailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Violence%20erupts%20in%20Nigeria...&body=Violence%20erupts%20in%20Nigeria%0A03/25/2012%0ANews24%0A%0AMaiduguri%20-%20An%20hours-long%20gun%20battle%20raged%20on%20Saturday%20in%20a%20northern%20Nigerian%20city%20that%27s%20the%20spiritual%20home%20of%20a%20radical%20Islamist%20sect,%20and%20a%20car%20bomb%20exploded%20during%20a%20gun%20fight%20with%20members%20of%20the%20group%20in%20another%20city%20in%20the%20restive%20region,%20authorities...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Violence-erupts-in-Nigeria-20120325http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Violence-erupts-in-Nigeria-20120325mailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20EU%20to%20train%20security%20forces%20in%20Africa%27s%20Sahel...&body=EU%20to%20train%20security%20forces%20in%20Africa%27s%20Sahel%0A03/24/2012%0AThomson%20Reuters%20-%20Africa%20-%20Online%0A%0ABRUSSELS%20(Reuters)%20-%20The%20European%20Union%20agreed%20on%20Friday%20to%20send%20experts%20to%20Africa%27s%20Sahel%20region%20to%20train%20security%20forces,%20particularly%20in%20Niger%20which%20faces%20a%20growing%20Islamist%20threat,%20and%20to%20increase%20food%20aid.The%20Council%20said%20the%20mission%20would%20be%20depl...%0A%0ALink:%20http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE82N00S20120324?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FAFRICATopNews+%28News+%2F+AFRICA+%2F+Top+News%29http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE82N00S20120324?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FAFRICATopNews+%28News+%2F+AFRICA+%2F+Top+News%29http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE82N00S20120324?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FAFRICATopNews+%28News+%2F+AFRICA+%2F+Top+News%29mailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Anti-Kony%20campaign%20in%20turmoil%20as%20AU%20sends%20troops...&body=Anti-Kony%20campaign%20in%20turmoil%20as%20AU%20sends%20troops%0A03/24/2012%0ANews24%0A%0ALos%20Angeles%20-%20The%20public%20meltdown%20of%20the%20man%20behind%20the%20viral%20%22Kony%202012%22%20video%20has%20thrown%20his%20campaign%20into%20turmoil%20even%20as%20the%20film%20succeeded%20in%20turning%20the%20world%27s%20attention%20to%20capturing%20an%20elusive%20and%20brutal%20Ugandan%20warlord.Attempts%20by%20regional%20for...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Anti-Kony-campaign-in-turmoil-as-AU-sends-troops-20120324http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Anti-Kony-campaign-in-turmoil-as-AU-sends-troops-20120324http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Anti-Kony-campaign-in-turmoil-as-AU-sends-troops-20120324mailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20African%20Union%20to%20Make%20Push%20Against%20Rebels...&body=African%20Union%20to%20Make%20Push%20Against%20Rebels%0A03/24/2012%0ANew%20York%20Times%20-%20Online,%20The%0A%0AKAMPALA,%20Uganda%20--%20The%20African%20Union%20announced%20Friday%20that%20it%20would%20launch%20a%20new%20regional%20military%20operation%20against%20the%20Lord%27s%20Resistance%20Army,%20the%20vicious%20Ugandan%20rebel%20group%20that%20has%20been%20terrorizing%20parts%20of%20central%20Africa%20for%20more%20than%2020%20years.Th...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/african-union-to-make-push-against-rebels.html?ref=worldhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/african-union-to-make-push-against-rebels.html?ref=worldhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/african-union-to-make-push-against-rebels.html?ref=worldmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%205,000%20sent%20to%20fight%20Kony%EF%BF%BD-%20National%EF%BF%BD|monitor.co.ug...&body=5,000%20sent%20to%20fight%20Kony%EF%BF%BD-%20National%EF%BF%BD|monitor.co.ug%0A03/25/2012%0ADaily%20Monitor%0A%0AThree%20years%20after%20the%20end%20of%20Operation%20Lightning%20Thunder%20that%20failed%20to%20capture%20the%20elusive%20Lord%27s%20Resistance%20Army%20rebel%20leader%20Joseph%20Kony,%20the%20African%20Union%20has%20launched%20another%20attempt%20to%20get%20him,%20this%20time%20round,%20with%20a%20force%20of%205,000%20soldiers.The%20...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1372906/-/awrcw1z/-/index.htmlhttp://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1372906/-/awrcw1z/-/index.htmlmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20U.S.%20aid%20to%20Mali%20at%20risk%20after%20coup...&body=U.S.%20aid%20to%20Mali%20at%20risk%20after%20coup%0A03/24/2012%0ACNN.com%0A%0ABamako,%20Mali%20(CNN)%20--%20U.S.%20aid%20to%20Mali%20could%20%22very%20seriously%20be%20affected,%22%20a%20U.S.%20State%20Department%20spokeswoman%20said%20Friday,%20a%20day%20after%20renegade%20soldiers%20staged%20a%20coup%20in%20the%20young%20African%20democracy.The%20United%20States%20gives%20Mali%27s%20government%20roughly%20$14...%0A%0ALink:%20http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/23/world/africa/mali-coup/http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/23/world/africa/mali-coup/mailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Mali%3A%20Kenyan%20evacuation%20flight%20fails%20to%20land...&body=Mali%3A%20Kenyan%20evacuation%20flight%20fails%20to%20land%0A03/25/2012%0AAfrica%20Online%20-%20Online%0A%0AA%20Nigerian%20chartered%20flight%20failed%20to%20land%20in%20Bamako,%20the%20Malian%20capital,%20to%20evacuate%20stranded%20Kenyan%20foreign%20minister%20Moses%20Wetang%27ula%20and%20three%20officials%20on%20Saturday,%20following%20insecurity%20on%20the%20ground%20as%20looting%20continued%20after%20Thursday%27s%20military%20coup%20...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.afriquejet.com/mali-kenyan-evacuation-flight-fails-to-land-2012032535617.htmlhttp://www.afriquejet.com/mali-kenyan-evacuation-flight-fails-to-land-2012032535617.htmlhttp://www.afriquejet.com/mali-kenyan-evacuation-flight-fails-to-land-2012032535617.htmlmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Tuareg%20rebels%20advance%20as%20Mali%20junta%20asserts%20control...&body=Tuareg%20rebels%20advance%20as%20Mali%20junta%20asserts%20control%0A03/25/2012%0AAFP%0A%0ATuareg%20rebels%20closed%20in%20on%20a%20key%20city%20in%20northern%20Mali%20Sunday,%20taking%20advantage%20of%20a%20power%20vacuum%20in%20Bamako%20where%20putschists%20insisted%20they%20were%20in%20firm%20control%20after%20ousting%20the%20government.As%20the%20junta%20condemned%20widespread%20looting%20in%20the%20capital%20and%20st...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.africareview.com/News/Tuareg+rebels+advance+as+Mali+junta+asserts+control/-/979180/1373282/-/13imb1mz/-/index.htmlhttp://www.africareview.com/News/Tuareg+rebels+advance+as+Mali+junta+asserts+control/-/979180/1373282/-/13imb1mz/-/index.htmlhttp://www.africareview.com/News/Tuareg+rebels+advance+as+Mali+junta+asserts+control/-/979180/1373282/-/13imb1mz/-/index.htmlmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Confusion%20reigns%20in%20wake%20of%20Mali%20coup%20d%27etat...&body=Confusion%20reigns%20in%20wake%20of%20Mali%20coup%20d%27etat%0A03/25/2012%0AFrance%2024%20-%20Online%0A%0AThe%20streets%20of%20Bamako%20were%20deserted%20Sunday%20in%20the%20wake%20of%20the%20coup%20d%27etat.%20The%20coup%20leader%20said%20on%20state%20TV%20that%20the%20putschists%20were%20in%20control,%20but%20some%20soldiers%20were%20still%20looting%20and%20firing%20off%20volleys%20in%20the%20capital,%20terrifying%20residents.AFP%20-%20Bama...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.france24.com/en/20120325-mali-coup-leaders-try-control-sanogo-bamakohttp://www.france24.com/en/20120325-mali-coup-leaders-try-control-sanogo-bamakohttp://www.france24.com/en/20120325-mali-coup-leaders-try-control-sanogo-bamakomailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20UN,%20AU%20tell%20Mali%20junta%20to%20go...&body=UN,%20AU%20tell%20Mali%20junta%20to%20go%0A03/24/2012%0AReuters%0A%0ABamako%20-%20A%20delegation%20of%20UN%20and%20African%20officials%20has%20told%20the%20military%20junta%20that%20seized%20power%20in%20Mali%20on%20Wednesday%20night%20to%20hand%20back%20power,%20saying%20its%20plan%20to%20fix%20Mali%27s%20problems%20and%20restore%20security%20before%20stepping%20down%20will%20not%20work.The%20message%20wa...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/UN-AU-tell-Mali-junta-to-go-20120324http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/UN-AU-tell-Mali-junta-to-go-20120324mailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20%27I%20will%20not%20cling%20to%20power%27,%20Mali%20coup%20leader%20says...&body=%27I%20will%20not%20cling%20to%20power%27,%20Mali%20coup%20leader%20says%0A03/24/2012%0AAfrica%20Review%0A%0AThe%20leader%20of%20this%20week%27s%20coup%20in%20Mali%20says%20he%20has%20no%20intention%20of%20staying%20in%20power.Capt%20Amadou%20Sanogo%20said%20he%20would%20stand%20down%20after%20making%20sure%20the%20army,%20which%20is%20fighting%20ethnic%20Tuareg%20rebels%20in%20the%20north,%20was%20able%20to%20secure%20the%20country.He%20also%20...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.africareview.com/News/Mali+coup+leader+says+he+will+not+cling+to+power/-/979180/1372544/-/4xerkqz/-/index.htmlhttp://www.africareview.com/News/Mali+coup+leader+says+he+will+not+cling+to+power/-/979180/1372544/-/4xerkqz/-/index.htmlhttp://www.africareview.com/News/Mali+coup+leader+says+he+will+not+cling+to+power/-/979180/1372544/-/4xerkqz/-/index.html


3/42

North Nigeria

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) -- Al-Qaida's North Africa branch this week claimed the January abduction of a Germanhostage in north Nigeria, and provided a video of the terrified man begging for his life as men carrying Kalashnikovrifles stood behind him. The cla...

Nigeria: FG Begs Boko Haram toEmbrace Dialogue

03/25/2012 AllAfrica.com

The Federal government has urged members of the Boko Haram to respect the sanctity of human lives whileexpressing their grievances and reconsider the opportunity offered for dialogue with the Federal Government in theinterest of unity, stability and econ...

Nigeria: Stop Portraying Govt AsWeak, Jonathan Begs Media


President Goodluck Jonathan has begged the media to stop portraying the Federal Government as weak andineffective in tackling the challenges of terrorism posed by the Boko Haram sect.

Somalia pirates: EU approves attackson land bases

03/25/2012 BBC

The European Union has agreed to expand its mission against Somali pirates by allowing military forces to attackland targets as well as those at sea. In a two-year extension of its mission, EU defence ministers agreed warshipscould target boats and fuel ...

Somalia: Ethiopian Troops in New

Incursion 03/24/2012 AllAfrica.comGuri'el -- Large forces of Ethiopian troops have on Friday night reached at the town of Guri'el district of G/gududregion, central Somalia who have immediately made military bases in the city's outskirts, residents said. Residentsin Guri'el district of G...

No Longer Invisible 03/24/2012 Foreign Policy - Online

Like it or hate it, the social media phenomenon known as Kony 2012 is having its desired impact, at least inWashington. As Foreign Policy's Josh Rogin reported on Wednesday, 37 senators have co-sponsored a resolutionencouraging the Obama administration t...

Lessons Ugandans should learn from'Kony 2012' video

03/24/2012 Daily Monitor

I am writing in relation to the 'Kony 2012' video, which is trying to revive memories of the past brutality committed byJoseph Kony and his LRA rebels. I think Uganda does not deserve a single moment to be in the unfortunatespotlight of this movie traile...

Africa: Up-Coming Economies BackNigerian for World Bank Job


South Africa has called a news conference for today to announce an African candidate for the World Bankpresidency, widely expected to be Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, sources familiar with thediscussions said, yesterday. South Africa cha...

NATO's Secrecy Stance 03/25/2012 New York Times

...The aircraft that night have never been publicly identified by NATO, which has treated their origins andnationalities as strict military secrets.From the standpoint of public accountability and civilian control of the military, this position serves ...

Tracking pirates through Twitter 03/25/2012 CNN

(CNN) -- Shipping companies may have found a new tool to fight piracy: It turns out, pirates like to tweet. Not onlythat, Somali-based pirates blog and are on Facebook, security experts say. And it is through social media thatshipping companies are incre...

Militia storms hotel in Libya after guesttold to pay overdue bill

03/25/2012 CNN

(CNN) -- Armed members of a Libyan militia burst into a luxury hotel in the capital Tripoli on Saturday and openedfire after one of their members was told to pay an outstanding bill or vacate, sources and hotel officials said. Nocasualties were reported,...

United Nations News Centre - AfricaBriefs

03/25/2012United Nations NewsService

-African countries to launch UN-backed task force against Lord's Resistance Army-Guinea-Bissau development expert named head of UN Economic Commission for Africa
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/03/24/world/africa/ap-af-nigeria-terror-in-the-north.html?ref=global-homehttp://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/03/24/world/africa/ap-af-nigeria-terror-in-the-north.html?ref=global-homehttp://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/03/24/world/africa/ap-af-nigeria-terror-in-the-north.html?ref=global-homehttp://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/03/24/world/africa/ap-af-nigeria-terror-in-the-north.html?ref=global-homehttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203250067.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203250067.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203250067.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203250125.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203250125.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203250125.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17487767http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17487767http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17487767http://allafrica.com/stories/201203240086.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203240086.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203240086.htmlhttp://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/03/23/unintended_konysequences?page=0,3http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/03/23/unintended_konysequences?page=0,3http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Letters/-/806314/1371904/-/11ffn06/-/index.htmlhttp://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Letters/-/806314/1371904/-/11ffn06/-/index.htmlhttp://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Letters/-/806314/1371904/-/11ffn06/-/index.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203250115.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203250115.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203250115.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/sunday-review/natos-secrecy-stance.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/sunday-review/natos-secrecy-stance.htmlhttp://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/libya-militia-hotel/index.html?eref=rss_topstorieshttp://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/libya-militia-hotel/index.html?eref=rss_topstorieshttp://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/libya-militia-hotel/index.html?eref=rss_topstorieshttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20United%20Nations%20News%20Centre%20-%20Africa%20Briefs...&body=United%20Nations%20News%20Centre%20-%20Africa%20Briefs%0A03/25/2012%0AUnited%20Nations%20News%20Service%0A%0AAfrican%20countries%20to%20launch%20UN-backed%20task%20force%20against%20Lord%27s%20Resistance%20Army23%20March%20%E2%80%93%20With%20the%20backing%20of%20the%20United%20Nations%20and%20the%20African%20Union%20(AU),%20four%20African%20countries%20affected%20by%20the%20activities%20of%20the%20Lord%27s%20Resistance%20Army%20(LRA)%20are%20launchi...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Militia%20storms%20hotel%20in%20Libya%20after%20guest%20told%20to%20pay%20overdue%20bill...&body=Militia%20storms%20hotel%20in%20Libya%20after%20guest%20told%20to%20pay%20overdue%20bill%0A03/25/2012%0ACNN.com%0A%0A(CNN)%20--%20Armed%20members%20of%20a%20Libyan%20militia%20burst%20into%20a%20luxury%20hotel%20in%20the%20capital%20Tripoli%20on%20Saturday%20and%20opened%20fire%20after%20one%20of%20their%20members%20was%20told%20to%20pay%20an%20outstanding%20bill%20or%20vacate,%20sources%20and%20hotel%20officials%20said.No%20casualties%20were%20report...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/libya-militia-hotel/index.html?eref=rss_topstorieshttp://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/libya-militia-hotel/index.html?eref=rss_topstorieshttp://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/libya-militia-hotel/index.html?eref=rss_topstoriesmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Tracking%20pirates%20through%20Twitter...&body=Tracking%20pirates%20through%20Twitter%0A03/25/2012%0ACNN.com%0A%0A(CNN)%20--%20Shipping%20companies%20may%20have%20found%20a%20new%20tool%20to%20fight%20piracy%3A%20It%20turns%20out,%20pirates%20like%20to%20tweet.Not%20only%20that,%20Somali-based%20pirates%20blog%20and%20are%20on%20Facebook,%20security%20experts%20say.%20And%20it%20is%20through%20social%20media%20that%20shipping%20companies%20are%20in...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/15/business/somalia-piracy-twitter/index.html?eref=rss_world&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_world+%28RSS%3A+World%29mailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20NATO%27s%20Secrecy%20Stance...&body=NATO%27s%20Secrecy%20Stance%0A03/25/2012%0ANew%20York%20Times,%20The%0A%0ASOMETIME%20late%20last%20Aug.%208,%20NATO%20warplanes%20flying%20from%20Europe%20arrived%20over%20the%20Libyan%20farming%20village%20of%20Majer,%20where%20forces%20loyal%20to%20Col.%20Muammar%20el-Qaddafi%20were%20withdrawing%20and%20anti-Qaddafi%20forces%20were%20claiming%20ground.%20Civilians%20were%20in%20motion,%20too%20--%20see...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/sunday-review/natos-secrecy-stance.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/sunday-review/natos-secrecy-stance.htmlmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Africa%3A%20Up-Coming%20Economies%20Back%20Nigerian%20for%20World%20Bank%20Job...&body=Africa%3A%20Up-Coming%20Economies%20Back%20Nigerian%20for%20World%20Bank%20Job%0A03/25/2012%0AAllAfrica.com%0A%0ASouth%20Africa%20has%20called%20a%20news%20conference%20for%20today%20to%20announce%20an%20African%20candidate%20for%20the%20World%20Bank%20presidency,%20widely%20expected%20to%20be%20Nigerian%20Finance%20Minister%20Ngozi%20Okonjo-Iweala,%20sources%20familiar%20with%20the%20discussions%20said,%20yesterday.South%20Africa%20...%0A%0ALink:%20http://allafrica.com/stories/201203250115.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203250115.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203250115.htmlmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Lessons%20Ugandans%20should%20learn%20from%20%27Kony%202012%27%20video...&body=Lessons%20Ugandans%20should%20learn%20from%20%27Kony%202012%27%20video%0A03/24/2012%0ADaily%20Monitor%0A%0AI%20am%20writing%20in%20relation%20to%20the%20%27Kony%202012%27%20video,%20which%20is%20trying%20to%20revive%20memories%20of%20the%20past%20brutality%20committed%20by%20Joseph%20Kony%20and%20his%20LRA%20rebels.%20I%20think%20Uganda%20does%20not%20deserve%20a%20single%20moment%20to%20be%20in%20the%20unfortunate%20spotlight%20of%20this%20movie%20traile...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Letters/-/806314/1371904/-/11ffn06/-/index.htmlhttp://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Letters/-/806314/1371904/-/11ffn06/-/index.htmlhttp://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Letters/-/806314/1371904/-/11ffn06/-/index.htmlmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20No%20Longer%20Invisible...&body=No%20Longer%20Invisible%0A03/24/2012%0AForeign%20Policy%20-%20Online%0A%0ALike%20it%20or%20hate%20it,%20the%20social%20media%20phenomenon%20known%20as%20Kony%202012%20is%20having%20its%20desired%20impact,%20at%20least%20in%20Washington.%20As%20Foreign%20Policy%27s%20Josh%20Rogin%20reported%20on%20Wednesday,%2037%20senators%20have%20co-sponsored%20a%20resolution%20encouraging%20the%20Obama%20administration%20t...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/03/23/unintended_konysequences?page=0,3http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/03/23/unintended_konysequences?page=0,3mailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Somalia%3A%20Ethiopian%20Troops%20in%20New%20Incursion...&body=Somalia%3A%20Ethiopian%20Troops%20in%20New%20Incursion%0A03/24/2012%0AAllAfrica.com%0A%0AGuri%27el%20--%20Large%20forces%20of%20Ethiopian%20troops%20have%20on%20Friday%20night%20reached%20at%20the%20town%20of%20Guri%27el%20district%20of%20G/gudud%20region,%20central%20Somalia%20who%20have%20immediately%20made%20military%20bases%20in%20the%20city%27s%20outskirts,%20residents%20said.Residents%20in%20Guri%27el%20district%20o...%0A%0ALink:%20http://allafrica.com/stories/201203240086.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203240086.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203240086.htmlmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Somalia%20pirates%3A%20EU%20approves%20attacks%20on%20land%20bases...&body=Somalia%20pirates%3A%20EU%20approves%20attacks%20on%20land%20bases%0A03/25/2012%0ABBC%20News%0A%0AThe%20European%20Union%20has%20agreed%20to%20expand%20its%20mission%20against%20Somali%20pirates%20by%20allowing%20military%20forces%20to%20attack%20land%20targets%20as%20well%20as%20those%20at%20sea.In%20a%20two-year%20extension%20of%20its%20mission,%20EU%20defence%20ministers%20agreed%20warships%20could%20target%20boats%20and%20fu...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17487767http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17487767http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17487767mailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Nigeria%3A%20Stop%20Portraying%20Govt%20As%20Weak,%20Jonathan%20Begs%20Media...&body=Nigeria%3A%20Stop%20Portraying%20Govt%20As%20Weak,%20Jonathan%20Begs%20Media%0A03/25/2012%0AAllAfrica.com%0A%0APresident%20Goodluck%20Jonathan%20has%20begged%20the%20media%20to%20stop%20portraying%20the%20Federal%20Government%20as%20weak%20and%20ineffective%20in%20tackling%20the%20challenges%20of%20terrorism%20posed%20by%20the%20Boko%20Haram%20sect.President%20Jonathan%20who%20spoke%20at%20the%20Nigerian%20Tribune%27s%20Men%20of%20the%20Ye...%0A%0ALink:%20http://allafrica.com/stories/201203250125.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203250125.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203250125.htmlmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Nigeria%3A%20FG%20Begs%20Boko%20Haram%20to%20Embrace%20Dialogue...&body=Nigeria%3A%20FG%20Begs%20Boko%20Haram%20to%20Embrace%20Dialogue%0A03/25/2012%0AAllAfrica.com%0A%0AThe%20Federal%20government%20has%20urged%20members%20of%20the%20Boko%20Haram%20to%20respect%20the%20sanctity%20of%20human%20lives%20while%20expressing%20their%20grievances%20and%20reconsider%20the%20opportunity%20offered%20for%20dialogue%20with%20the%20Federal%20Government%20in%20the%20interest%20of%20unity,%20stability%20and%20econ...%0A%0ALink:%20http://allafrica.com/stories/201203250067.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203250067.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201203250067.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/03/24/world/africa/ap-af-nigeria-terror-in-the-north.html?ref=global-homehttp://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/03/24/world/africa/ap-af-nigeria-terror-in-the-north.html?ref=global-home


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-UN refugee agency monitoring developments in Mali following armed rebellion-UN: $50 mill...

News Headline: Leader of Mali military coup trained in U.S. |

News Date: 03/26/2012

Outlet Full Name: Washington PostNews Text: The leader of a military coup in the West African country of Mali received militarytraining in the United States on several occasions, a U.S. defense official said Friday.

Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo, who led a renegade military faction that on Thursday deposedMali's democratically elected president, visited the United States several times to receiveprofessional military education, including basic officer training, said Patrick Barnes, a U.S.Africa Command official based in Washington.

Barnes said he could not immediately provide further details about the duration or nature ofSanogo's participation in the International Military Education and Training program. The StateDepartment funds that program, and foreign officers are generally selected by U.S. Embassyofficials.

The State Department has condemned the coup and called for restoration of democratic rule.So far, however, it has not suspended aid or diplomatic relations with the impoverishedcountry.

The U.S. government was set to deliver $140 million in aid to Mali this year, about half of it forhumanitarian programs. The State Department said that humanitarian aid would continue butthat it was reviewing the rest of the money, slated primarily for development and securitypurposes.

If this situation is not resolved democratically, the remaining portion of that aid could veryseriously be affected, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters Friday.

By law, the U.S. government will be required to suspend military relations with Mali because ofthe coup. The European Union said it would stop non-humanitarian aid, and the African Unionon Friday suspended Mali's membership in that organization.

The actions of the mutineers run contrary to everything that is taught in U.S. military schools,where students are exposed to American concepts of the role of a military in a free society,said Hilary F. Renner, a spokeswoman for the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs.

Mali, a large, landlocked country that covers part of the Sahara Desert, is a key U.S.counterterrorism partner in efforts to contain al-Qaeda's affiliate in North Africa. The U.S.government has sought for years to bolster Malian security forces so they can improve theirability to track down al-Qaeda sympathizers who kidnap Europeans and other foreigners forransom.

The Africa Command had planned to hold a major regional military exercise in Mali last monthbut canceled because of Mali's struggles to contain aTuareg insurgency in the northern part of the country. The exercise, called Flintlock 2012, wassupposed to bring together security forces from West Africa, Europe and the United States tocoordinate counterterrorism missions.

The Malian armed forces are relatively small, with about 7,000 personnel. Given the evensmaller size of the officer corps, it is not surprising that Sanogo would have been selected formilitary education in the United States, said J. Peter Pham, an African affairs specialist at the
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Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank.

It would be hard to find an officer at his rank or higher in the Malian military who hasn'treceived training, Pham said. They've been a pretty reliable partner in terms ofcounterterrorism training.

In appearances on African television since Thursday, Sanogo has stated that he received U.S.military and intelligence training but did not reveal details.

The coup leaders have pledged a return to democracy and said they deposed PresidentAmadou Toumani Toure because of his incompetence in combating theTuareg insurgency, which has been fueled by the return of Malian fighters from Libya.

Reuters reported that soldiers looted gas stations and hijacked cars in the capital, Bamako,and the African Union said it had assurances that Toure was safe. Rumors swirled of animminent countercoup led by Toure loyalists and that Sanogo had been killed, a suggestiondenied on state television.

The coup comes a month before Mali one of the few established democracies in the region was to hold a presidential election.

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News Headline: Mali's Amadou Sanogo emerges from obscurity to head junta |

News Date: 03/26/2012Outlet Full Name: AFPNews Text: BAMAKO Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo, once a US-trained English instructorto his fellow Malian officers, has emerged as the leader of a military junta which ousted ademocratic regime.

The middle-aged non-commissioned officer comes from Segou, Mali's third-largest city on theNiger River and 240 kilometres (150 miles) from the capital Bamako.

His army career saw him make his way through a military academy in Kati outside Bamako,whose barracks are now the junta headquarters after a mutiny there led to a full-blown coup onThursday.

Analysts say the coup was hastily planned, and Sanogo has spent much of his time sincetrying to restore order while the country's political class and the world roundly condemn theputsch.

Paul Melly, a researcher at the London-based Chatham House, said the coup "appears havebeen a spontaneous boiling over of soldiers' anger" at the government's handling of a Tuareginsurrection in the north.

"There's no sign of a coherent plan and the putschists seem to be feeling their way hour byhour."

Sanogo has made several television appearances in a bid to reassure the nation, speaking in araspy, hoarse voice and insisting he plans to hand over power to a civilian government onceseveral problems are dealt with.

The problem at the moment was "a lack of equipment, a lack of training and our comrades aredying all the time," Sanogo told the BBC in an interview.
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"So once this has been fixed, I'll be able to say 'OK, go for election' in a short period of time. Ipromise."

The captain, with a green beret perched on his shaved head and slightly pockmarked cheeks,has a shining United States Marine Corps pin attached to his uniform.

This is a reminder of several trips made to the US, where he received training in Georgia andQuantico, Virginia, he told journalists in an interview this week.

American media cite the State Department as saying he attended an English-languageinstructor course in Texas from August 2004 to February 2005 and again in 2007.

He also completed intelligence training in Arizona in 2008, and infantry officer training inGeorgia for five months in 2010.

Sanogo told journalists in Bamako he has attended several international military summits,including one on counter-terrorism in Morocco.

Washington, which along with Paris has injected huge support into training Mali's soldiers tocombat terrorism and drug trafficking in the Sahara, was among the first to condemn the coupand demand a return to constitutional order.

A day after the coup, rumours swirled in Bamako and on social networking sites that Sanogohad been killed and there had been a counter-attack by loyalist troops.

He went on television, saying: "I am Captain Sanogo and I am in good health, all is well."

The captain was an instructor at the Koulikoro military school near Bamako where five studentsdied in October last year during hazing activities.

An officer at the school told AFP that Sanogo "was not there on the day it happened, but as allstaff were punished, Sanogo was too."

Three of the soldiers facing charges over the hazing incident now form part of his entourage,said an African diplomat.

Another Malian soldier told AFP he believed the soldier's justification of the coup, that theywere ill-equipped to face the Tuareg rebels was "phoney ... they want to settle scores. He willseek the arrest of anyone who gets in his way. It has already started."

People who have met with Sanogo since the coup describe him as an "attentive" listener.However, one diplomat said he appears not to take decisions unilaterally, prefering to consultwith other members of the junta.

One of his colleagues says he once heard Sanogo say that if he was ever in politics he would

be "a leftist".

Friends say he is a ladies man with several children who likes a good party, football and sports.

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News Headline: Mali's capital returning to normal, north threatened |

News Date: 03/25/2012
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/us-mali-army-idUSBRE82O0BE20120325http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/us-mali-army-idUSBRE82O0BE20120325http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/us-mali-army-idUSBRE82O0BE20120325


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Outlet Full Name: Reuters - OnlineNews Text: BAMAKO (Reuters) - Life in Mali's capital slowly returned to normal on Sundayafter most mutinous soldiers returned to their barracks, but rebels exploit ing a military coup inthe country pushed towards three northern towns.

Petrol stations and market stalls reopened in Bamako, the capital, after the military junta that

ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure in an overnight coup last Wednesday ordered allsoldiers back to barracks. There was also less gunfire and looting.

"Compared to those other days, things are calm. We can get on with our lives a bit," saidBouba Traore, drinking tea with friends under a tree. "I'm not sure we can say it is completelynormal though. We'll have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday for that."

Traffic police returned to busy intersections and workers were back on building sites for the firsttime in days. At the Medine market, trucks unloaded mountains of yams, onions and tomatoes.

Wedding corteges also toured the streets of the capital which, during the week, had been full ofsoldiers racing through town, hijacking cars and firing weapons into the air.

Last week's coup was born out of frustration among mainly low-ranking soldiers over a lack ofequipment to battle Tuareg-led rebels fighting for independence for the vast desert north.

While the rebels were strengthened by men and arms returning from Libya's war, Maliansoldiers complained they had been dispatched to the front short of everything from weapons tofood, leading to several routs of the government army.

Despite the fact that elections had been scheduled for April and Toure was not a candidate, thejunta said it had to seize power to restore order before polls.

A joint African/United Nations mission visiting the country on Friday told the new militaryleaders that their behavior was unacceptable. Donors have cut aid and the African Union hassuspended Mali. West Africa's ECOWAS bloc is expected to do the same at a summit in IvoryCoast on Tuesday.

A few hundred pro-coup demonstrators took to Bamako's streets late on Saturday. A coalitionof political parties and civil society groups on Sunday set up the "United Front for theProtection of Democracy and the Republic." But it has not yet put forward any concrete plans.

Reaction to the coup has otherwise been muted in the capital. "I don't approve of this coup,which will only force the country to take a step backwards," said Oumar Sinayogo, a carpenter."But now it is done, we must pray for God to help us find a way out of this situation."

REBELS, MILITIA

In the north, separatist MNLA rebels and Ansar Eddine, a group that wants to impose sharialaw in Mali, both have forces surrounding the town of Kidal, diplomats and residents said.

A Kidal resident reported gunfire on Sunday morning for the second day in a row. A diplomatsaid loyalist troops in the town had held talks with both groups but the outcome was unclear.

"Kidal is surrounded," said an official who works in the north and who asked not to be named."The army is outnumbered. It is just a question of time for the capture of the town."

Immediately after the coup, soldiers abandoned Anefis, a major base southwest of Kidal.Military sources said the junta had set up a regional command post in Gao that was scramblingto reinforce positions around the northern town.


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Even before the coup, when the army was struggling to contain the rebel push south, militiagroups had popped up in and around Gao and Timbuktu. Ganda Iso, one of these groups nearGao, on Sunday clashed with suspected rebels at Tinahama, 140 km east of Gao, a militarysource said. No toll was available.

Mali's coup reinforced regional and Western worries that the Sahel-Sahara belt in West Africais becoming a no-man's land where Islamists, rebels and smugglers can operate freely.

Mali is at the heart of this zone and risks losing millions of dollars in Western military aid if thejunta clings to power.

While Mali had been criticized for a lax approach to security, the disruption caused by the coupis likely to have a more significant impact, analysts say.

"The coup has created excellent conditions for al Qaeda to entrench itself in Mali with minimalinterference and is probably the greatest gift possible for those seeking to create the newnation of Azawad," Andrew McGregor, a security expert, wrote in a report for the JamestownFoundation.

"Unless the internal collapse within the armed forces can quickly be reversed, both AQIM (alQaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) and the MNLA (Azawad National Liberation Movement) willscore what may prove to be irreversible gains against a state rendered largely defenseless byits own military," he added.

(Additional reporting by Adama Diarra; Editing by Richard Valdmanis, Alistair Lyon and AndrewOsborn)

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News Headline: Leaders of Mali's Military Coup Seem to Have Uncertain Grasp on Power |

News Date: 03/24/2012Outlet Full Name: New York Times - Online, TheNews Text: DAKAR, Senegal Mali's military coup leaders struggled on three fronts Friday,as international condemnation mounted, an insurrection by nomadic tribesmen in the northgained ground and the junta was forced to condemn looting by its own troops in the capital,Bamako.

A day after overthrowing the country's elected president and arresting his ministers, the militarymen who have seized power led by Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo, who received extensivetraining in the United States between 2004 and 2010 appeared to have an uncertain graspon power in what had hitherto been one of Africa's most stable democracies.

International dismay over Thursday's coup seemed all the stronger because of the country's

widely acknowledged democratic record. The new government's isolation grew, potentiallyperilous for an impoverished, aid-dependent country.

On Friday, the African Union temporarily suspended Mali, the European Union cut off some aidand regional leaders said they would hold an emergency session early next week in IvoryCoast to discuss the crisis. The World Bank suspended funds, and the United States hasthreatened a cutoff. Even China, normally reluctant to weigh in on African upheavals,condemned the coup.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/in-mali-coup-leaders-seem-to-have-uncertain-grasp-on-power.html?ref=worldmailto:?subject=News%20Forwarded:%20Leaders%20of%20Mali%27s%20Military%20Coup%20Seem%20to%20Have%20Uncertain%20Grasp%20on%20Power...&body=Leaders%20of%20Mali%27s%20Military%20Coup%20Seem%20to%20Have%20Uncertain%20Grasp%20on%20Power%0A03/24/2012%0ANew%20York%20Times%20-%20Online,%20The%0A%0ADAKAR,%20Senegal%20--%20Mali%27s%20military%20coup%20leaders%20struggled%20on%20three%20fronts%20Friday,%20as%20international%20condemnation%20mounted,%20an%20insurrection%20by%20nomadic%20tribesmen%20in%20the%20north%20gained%20ground%20and%20the%20junta%20was%20forced%20to%20condemn%20looting%20by%20its%20own%20troops%20in%20the%20cap...%0A%0ALink:%20http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/in-mali-coup-leaders-seem-to-have-uncertain-grasp-on-power.html?ref=worldhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/africa/in-mali-coup-leaders-seem-to-have-uncertain-grasp-on-power.html?ref=world


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The country's democratic bona fides had appeared set for more confirmation next month, asPresident Amadou Toumani Tour was giving up power voluntarily a rarity in the region in a scheduled election.

But on Wednesday night the soldiers chased Mr. Tour from the presidential palace and tookover the state broadcaster. Their leaders cited dissatisfaction with the way Mr. Tour's

government was handling a rebellion by nomadic Tuareg tribesmen in the country's north.

In the coup's wake, state television has periodically broadcast declarations from coup leaderscondemning looting. There is an acute gas shortage in Bamako, as stations shut to forestallgasoline theft by marauding soldiers. On Friday night, the broadcaster, a key strategic asset,flashed an on-screen message imploring the population not to give in to panic and insistingthe station was under the control of the military junta.

The whereabouts of Mr. Tour a former general who seized power himself in the last coup,in 1991, before returning the nation to civilian rule and winning elections in 2002 and 2007 remained a mystery. Captain Sanogo suggested to reporters, indirectly, that he was in thecustody of the mutineers, though some diplomats in the capital were skeptical. The AfricanUnion chief, Jean Ping, said Mr. Tour was being protected by troops loyal to the president.

In the country's vast desert north, where Tuareg tribesmen have been battling Mali's army withsurprising success for three months, the insurgents late Thursday claimed the capture ofanother town. The announcement cast doubt on the coup leaders' stated reason foroverthrowing the government of Mr. Tour: that he was incompetent in managing the northerncrisis.

We're not here to confiscate power, Captain Sanogo told Africable television, promising togive up power as soon as possible. He did not specify a timetable, however. He justi fied thearrest of a number of Mr. Tour's top ministers, saying: It wasn't working. They failed in theirduties. The junta has suggested the ministers could face criminal prosecution.

Mali and the United States have had close military ties in recent years as part of Americancounterterrorism programs. According to the State Department, Captain Sanogo attended an

English-language instructor course at the Defense Language Institute, a special school forinternational military students at Lackland Air Force Base, Tex., from August 2004 to February2005.

Nearly three years later, in December 2007, Captain Sanogo returned to the United States, thistime for more English language classes at Lackland before attending the Army's entry-levelcourse for intelligence officers at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., instruction that he completed in July2008.

Finally, Captain Sanogo attended the Army's prestigious infantry officer basic training course atFort Benning, Ga., from August 2010 to December 2010.

But the United States has roundly condemned the seizure of power, and on Friday the coup

leaders continued to exhibit what appeared to be only a tentative grasp on their objectives.

I'm asking myself some questions, said Pierre Boilley, a Mali expert at the Sorbonne. Is thisreally an organized coup d'tat, since it started as a mutiny? Will it succeed? Because it is notfinished. It's possible the state will regain the upper hand.

The country's political class has been slow to react to the coup, stunned by itsunexpectedness. But on Friday afternoon, the first signs of open opposition appeared, withseveral leading political parties issuing strong condemnations.


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This coup d'tat cannot be justified, all the more so in that it has come about on the eve of anelection that would have permitted the election of a new president, said the Party for NationalRenaissance, in a statement from its president, Tibil Dram, a former foreign minister. It hasset us back decades.

Bamako was calmer than on previous days. The gunfire had died down, and some stores were

open, though residents reported much less traffic than normal.

The situation is calmer today, but people are still uneasy, said Moctar Mariko, president of theMalian Human Rights Association. There is a gasoline crisis. Men in uniform were helpingthemselves freely, and not paying.

Like others, he condemned the coup, but also Mr. Tour's government for mishandling therebel invasion in the north. There is wide agreement among politicians, analysts and civil-society activists that Mr. Tour had left his relatively small army unprepared andunderequipped to deal with a rebel force that had armed itself heavily with weapons from thearmories of the fallen Libyan leader Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.

The government had not sufficiently prepared the army to confront the rebellion, Mr. Dramsaid in an interview. Most of the defeats in the desert were because the troops had nomotivation to fight. The Malian army was humiliated.

But Mr. Dram, himself a candidate, added, In a place where there is an election in a month, itis difficult to understand why troops would take over from the government.

Eric Schmitt contributed reporting from Washington.

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News Headline: African Union suspends Mali over military coup |

News Date: 03/24/2012Outlet Full Name: France 24 - OnlineNews Text: The African Union has added its voice to the chorus of condemnation ofThursday's military coup in Mali, suspending the country from its ranks. The West Africaneconomic bloc ECOWAS will convene a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss the crisis.

AFP - Mali's Tuareg rebels pressed on Friday with an offensive in the north as mutinoussoldiers faced a global backlash for staging a coup over the government's handling of theinsurrection.

The African Union temporarily suspended Mali, Europe froze aid and the United Statesthreatened to do the same amid a chorus of rebukes over the coup in a country key to fightingdrug trafficking and extremism.

The coup opened the way for Tuareg rebels to deepen their hold on the north, and their

National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) said it had seized the town of Anefisbetween the key cities Gao and Kidal.

The MNLA said on its website it "will continue the offensive to dislodge the Malian army and itsadministration from all the towns of Azawad" -- their professed homeland in the north of thebow-tie shaped west African nation.

The rebellion sparked the coup Thursday by soldiers who say they have been ill-equipped tofight off the desert nomads, many of whom are heavily armed after returning from fighting for
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Libya's slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

The soldiers attacked the presidential palace and seized state institutions before appearing ontelevision to announce they had toppeld the "incompetent" regime of President AmadouToumani Toure.

Toure fled and his whereabouts remained unclear. Paris said its efforts to reach him wereunsuccessful and urged coup leaders not to harm him.

On Friday, Mali's putschists again took to television to deny the death of their leader, CaptainAmadou Sanogo, or that loyalist troops had seized state television as rumours swirled on thesecond day of the junta's rule.

Coup leader Sanogo earlier told journalists Toure was "doing very well", and that members ofthe government arrested by soldiers were safe.

He said the government leaders being held were "safe and sound."

"We will not touch a hair on their heads. I will hand them over to the courts so that the Malianpeople know the truth."

The green-beret mid-ranking captain, who speaks with a raspy voice, also revealed he hadspent much time at training programmes in the United States, in Georgia and at the MarineCorps base in Quantico, Virginia.

He said he was trained under a US scholarship as an English instructor.

Rights group Amnesty International said that in the putsch Thursday at least three people hadbeen shot dead and 28 wounded, while the local Red Cross said it had treated 40 people,mostly for bullet wounds.

As few people ventured out of their homes in the tense capital Bamako, where some soldiershad turned to looting, as the international community acted swiftly against the junta.

The AU Peace and Security Council "decided that Mali should be suspended... until effectiverestoration of constitutional order is achieved without delay," said Paul Zolo, Nigeria's envoy toEthiopia and the AU.

AU Commission chief Jean Ping said the bloc and west African group ECOWAS will send ajoint team to Mali to seek a return of constitutional order.

Heads of the Economic Community of West African States were due to hold a special meetingin Ivory Coast's main city Abidjan on Tuesday, a source in the Ivorian ministry for Africanintegration said.

The EU's executive arm said it was halting development operations temporarily as its foreign

ministers called for the return of civilian rule.

The EU stressed that direct support to the population and humanitarian aid would continue.Mali is threatened with a food crisis due to drought.

The World Bank and the African Development Bank suspended aid after Mali's first coup in 21years and the US threatened to lift $70 million in military and economic aid if constitutional rulewas not returned.

China added to the critique which has poured in from the United Nations, France and across


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Africa.

Twelve Malian political heavyweights, meanwhile, in a joint statement condemned the coupwhich came just five weeks before a presidential election in which Toure has been due to stepdown.

"This coup tarnishes Mali's honour and seriously stains the image of our country, seen untilnow as an example in Africa," said Ibrahima Keita, a former prime minister and presidentialcandidate.

Mali's woes are viewed as a fallout of the demise of Kadhafi's regime, which employed theTuareg, who returned armed and jobless from Libya to their desert homes last year andresumed a decades-long independence battle.

The military, one of the continent's weakest according to analysts, was overwhelmed and hasaccused the government of a lack of support.

Sanogo said Friday it was not only the insurrection by the Tuareg that had prompted the coupbut a general malaise within government.

"When a state is already 50 years old, and unfortunately the armed forces and security operateunder minimal conditions to defend its territory, this is a failure," Sanogo said, justifying thecoup.

Mali is usually seen as politically stable, but unrest in the north, where Tuareg tribes have longfelt ignored by a southern government and where Al-Qaeda has also taken root, has created amajor security problem.

Under Toure's leadership, Mali -- which has battled successive Tuareg rebellions sinceindependence and more recently Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb -- has been hailed as agrowing democratic success.

But in mid-January the Tuareg launched a fresh rebellion for independence, which has seen up

to 206,000 people flee their homes.

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News Headline: 'I will not cling to power', Mali coup leader says |

News Date: 03/24/2012Outlet Full Name: Africa ReviewNews Text: The leader of this week's coup in Mali says he has no intention of staying inpower.

Capt Amadou Sanogo said he would stand down after making sure the army, which is fightingethnic Tuareg rebels in the north, was able to secure the country.

He also said former leaders would be transferred to the justice system, but the president is notbelieved to be in the custody of the mutineers.

Meanwhile, the African Union has suspended Mali from the organisation.

"[The] council decided Mali should be suspended from further participation in all its activitiesuntil effective restoration of constitutional order is achieved without delay," Paul Lolo, chairmanof the African Union's Peace and Security Council, said.
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'Comrades are dying'

A government official said Thursday that President Amadou Toumani Toure was safe, but hisexact whereabouts are still unknown, two days after he was deposed.

There are unconfirmed reports that he is in a military barracks in the capital, Bamako, beingprotected by members his elite presidential guard.

The European Union has suspended its development operations in Mali until the securitysituation becomes clear.

Reports say that most low-ranking soldiers have backed the military coup but no senior officershave so far openly supported the new leaders.

The unrest began on Wednesday as the country's defence minister started a tour of militarybarracks north of the capital.

Soldiers upset with the government's handling of the Tuareg rebellion fired in the air during theinspection, prompting an immediate strengthening of security around the presidential palace.

The Tuaregs have forced the army out of several northern towns in recent months - and APnews agency is reporting that the group has taken another town, Anefis.

"We are not here to confiscate any power but we are here to have an army and security forcesavailable to assume the national security," Capt Sanogo told the BBC's Focus on Africaprogramme.

He said the army was not up to the job at the moment as there was "a lack of equipment, alack of training and our comrades are dying all the time"."So once this has been fixed, I'll be able to say 'Ok, go for election' in a short period of time. Ipromise."

After the election of a new president he said the mutineers would go back to their units and hewould be "very happy to serve as a company commander or a battalion commander".

The junta leader gave an assurance during an interview with AP that the mutineers' "aim is notto harm anyone physically".

A presidential election was due to take place in the country in just under a month.

The government had so far refused to postpone the poll, despite the unrest involving Tuareg-led rebels.

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News Headline: UN, AU tell Mali junta to go |

News Date: 03/24/2012Outlet Full Name: ReutersNews Text: Bamako - A delegation of UN and African officials has told the military junta thatseized power in Mali on Wednesday night to hand back power, saying its plan to fix Mali'sproblems and restore security before stepping down will not work.

The message was delivered on Friday during a lightning visit by UN and African Union officials
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and the head of the regional Ecowas Commission, the UN secretary general's specialrepresentative for West Africa, Said Djinnit, told Reuters by phone on Saturday.

Mutinous low-ranking soldiers seized the presidential palace and Mali's state television thisweek, dissatisfied with President Amadou Toumani Toure's handling of a rebellion by northernnomads launched in January.

Rumours swirled around Bamako on Friday that junta leader Captain Amadou Sanogo hadbeen killed in a counter-coup by Toure loyalists.

Early on Saturday, state television showed Sanogo insisting he was well, but it was not clearwhen the footage had been recorded.

The coup leaders have said they plan to restore security and equip the army to better fight anorthern Tuareg rebellion.

"We warned them that this would not work and that the restoration of constitutional order wasunconditional," Djinnit said, adding that the coup leaders did not have a timeframe to handback power.

"The time is not with them. The more they stay, the more it gets complicated. That's themessage," Djinnit added.

Sanogo heads the National Committee for the Return of Democracy and the Restoration of theState (CNRDR), a body set up by soldiers after the coup on Wednesday.

Isolated

Toure has not been heard from since the coup, although the African Union said on Friday ithad been told that he was still in Mali, not far for Bamako, being protected by loyal forces.

The international community has urged a rapid return to constitutional rule and a coalition ofMalian parties said elections, which had been scheduled for April, should be held as soon as

possible.

Ecowas, the Economic Community of West African States, said it would not recognise the juntaand has scheduled a summit in Abidjan on Tuesday to discuss the Mali crisis.

Djinnit said the bloc would probably follow the African Union's move and suspend Mali.

"They [the junta] made an appeal to us to help them. We said we can only help you after therestoration of constitutional order," he said.

Bamako was quiet on Saturday, with people back out on the streets, but most shops shut.

Traffic was thin, mainly due to fuel shortages as most petrol stations remained closed following

two days of looting and hijacking by mutinous soldiers.

Reuters reporters saw a convoy of three large petrol trucks being escorted into Bamako bysecurity officials on Saturday.

There were fewer soldiers on the streets but the roads around state TV remained cordoned offwith makeshift roadblocks manned by jumpy soldiers.

"We were afraid, but the soldiers have encouraged us to come out and sell our goods withoutfear," said Alimata Traore, a trader in one of Bamako's markets.


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Frontline

The northern rebel MNLA, whose numbers have been swollen by Malian Tuaregs returningfrom the ranks of Libya's army after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, launched their fight for anindependent north in January.

Aiming to capitalise on confusion in the capital, they have pushed south to occupy positionsabandoned by government forces.

The governor of the northeastern region of Kidal told Reuters late on Friday that governmenttroops had retreated from the frontline after they heard of the coup in Bamako.

"We are now surrounded [in Kidal city] by rebels of the MNLA. The current situation in Bamakocontributed much to the weak commitment of soldiers on the frontline," Colonel Salifou Konetold Reuters by telephone.

Sanogo has said he is ready to negotiate with the rebels but that his aim is to maintain Mali'sterritorial integrity.

Hama Ag Mahmoud of the MNLA's political wing told Reuters in Nouakchott, the capital ofneighbouring Mauritania: "We are ready to negotiate but there are conditions - the incumbentmust be well-established, representative and have the political class behind him, and we musthave guarantees from big powers."

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News Headline: Confusion reigns in wake of Mali coup d'etat |

News Date: 03/25/2012Outlet Full Name: France 24 - OnlineNews Text: The streets of Bamako were deserted Sunday in the wake of the coup d'etat. Thecoup leader said on state TV that the putschists were in control, but some soldiers were stilllooting and firing off volleys in the capital, terrifying residents.

AFP - Bamako's main market was a shadow of its normal bustling self, shops were shutteredand people preferred to stay home days after Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure wasousted in a coup.

"People are scared to go out," said schoolgirl Kady Kante, admitting with a nervous laugh thatshe too was a bit scared to leave her home but did not want to miss out on a shopping trip witha friend.

Kady, trying out necklaces at one of the few open stalls to the sound of the local Mandingomusic, was wearing a shirt printed in 2010 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the west Africancountry's independence.

But on Thursday, troops angry with the government's handling of the fight against Tuaregrebels in the north seized government buildings and forced Toure to flee.

Coup leader Captain Amadou Sanogo insisted on state television that the putschists were incontrol of the situation, but some soldiers were still looting and firing off volleys in the capital,terrifying residents.

Bamako's streets were largely deserted, thanks in part to dwindling petrol supplies.
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Becaye Soukoule, a trader in his late 20s, chatted with friends at the market but was not readyto open his spare parts shop. "We're scared that they will come and steal things," he said.

The coup leaders also issued a statement Saturday calling on soldiers to return to barracksand reminding unit commanders they were responsible for their men.

With petrol running short, soldiers urged filling station owners to open up for business.

But many local people were still too shaken by the breakdown in law and order that followedthe coup as soldiers -- and other opportunists -- took advantage of the confusion.

Dramane Drago decided to open his hardware store Saturday only to find that the customerswere not coming. Summing up the atmosphere, the 50-year-old trader said: "It's calm and it'sprecarious."

That precariousness was most keenly felt at sites where soldiers were still controlling access:the state television station ORTM and the main roads in and out of the capital.

The banks were closed, and any business to be done in the city would have to be completedbefore 6:00 pm because of a dusk-to-dawn curfew announced by the army.

"Yesterday (Friday) there was shooting," said Ibrahima Diallo, who had come to visit relativesin the working-class district of Bagadadji, in the centre of Bamako near the market and thecity's main mosque.

But Diallo's main concern was how to get petrol for his moped.

With most stations still closed, black market sellers were making a killing, selling the petrol formore than double its normal price, he said.

For Diallo, a young man looking for work, that was too steep for him.

Some stations were beginning to reopen Saturday under guard by soldiers, and 20 bikerscould be seen queued up at one of them.

But the station worker made it clear that stocking up would be difficult. "The reserves here, it'sall we've got," he said.

Another employee confided that other filling stations had decided to stay closed because theyhad been robbed by soldiers.

The new military rulers have called on people to return to work on Tuesday.

Kady, for one, hopes it will be business as usual at the market by then. "Tuesday, inch'Allah(God willing)," she said.

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News Headline: Tuareg rebels advance as Mali junta asserts control |

News Date: 03/25/2012Outlet Full Name: AFPNews Text: Tuareg rebels closed in on a key city in northern Mali Sunday, taking advantage ofa power vacuum in Bamako where putschists insisted they were in firm control after ousting the
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government.

As the junta condemned widespread looting in the capital and struggled to restore order,soldiers in the distant north recruited militia to help them fight Tuareg rebels waging a battle forindependence.

Tuareg rebel group Ansar Dine (Defenders of Faith) said its fighters had surrounded one of thenorth's main towns where, they said, they would apply Islamic sharia law.

"Thanks to Allah the almighty and His blessings, we will soon take our land in Kidal," said astatement from the group.

Ansar Dine is an Islamist group fighting alongside the Azawad National Liberation Movement(MNLA) for the independence of the homeland of the nomadic desert Tuareg in the country'snorthern triangle.

Down in the south, in the capital Bamako, mutinous soldiers seized power on Thursday, fed upwith the government's failure to equip them properly to fight the Tuareg insurrection.

The Tuareg, light-skinned desert tribes that populate the north of Mali, are a minority in the vastcountry. Reacting to what they say is neglect from Bamako, they have staged several uprisingsin recent decades. (READ: Mali's Tuareg problem)

TV appearances

On January 17, they launched their first rebellion since 2009, boosted by the return of heavilyarmed, battle-hardened fighters from Libya, who formerly served late leader MuammarGaddafi.

Their forces have already taken several towns and scores of soldiers are said to have beenkilled or captured.

Angry soldiers revolted in Bamako Wednesday, leading to a full-blown coup by early Thursday

as they seized government buildings and forced President Amadou Toumani Toure to flee.

Soldiers left facing the Tuareg are being supported by two notorious militia groups from blackcommunities, mostly Fulani and Songhai, who were involved in earlier Tuareg uprisings.

"We are about 200 youths, the Malian army gave us weapons today and uniforms to fight thecountry's enemies. We are already in the Gao military camp", said one of these militia,Mahamane Maiga. A Malian officer confirmed the information.

In Bamako, a junta frozen out by the international community was at pains to assure citizens itwas firmly in power, making regular appearances on state television.

"I am Captain Sanogo and I am in good health, all is well," the coup leader said in a segment

broadcast on Saturday, after rumours of his death circulated the evening before.

Insisting he had the backing of all of the armed forces, he asked the camera to pan overrepresentatives of the police, paratroopers, air force and paramilitary police. All were low-ranking officers.

Sanogo met French ambassador Christian Rouyer and other dignitaries Saturday, the statetelevision channel reported.

The coup leaders also issued a statement calling on soldiers to return to barracks and


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reminding unit commanders they were responsible for their men.

'Isolated and rudderless'

With petrol running short, soldiers urged station owners to open up for business.

But sporadic looting continued, sparking anger and fear in the capital.

The national human rights commission denounced the "climate of terror" caused by continuingsporadic gunfire.

"The junta looks increasingly isolated and rudderless," said analyst Paul Melly, of the London-based Chatham house, in Dakar.

"They don't seem to have expected the rebuff they have encountered from the political class,where all the main parties have united in condemning the coup."

The coup was met by swift international condemnation. The African Union temporarilysuspended Mali, Europe and Canada froze aid and the United States has threatened to followsuit.

A joint mission from the African Union and Economic Community of West African States(Ecowas) met representatives of the junta on Friday, according to Malian state television,without giving further details.

Early Saturday, a group of soldiers briefly arrested an opposition politician who had spoken outagainst the coup. Several other politicians said they had gone underground, fearing they wouldbe next.

A presidential election in which President Toure was to step down after two terms had beenscheduled for April 29.

In a phone call with Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, Sanogo said Toure and his family

were safe, according to a statement from Senegal.

-AFP-

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News Headline: Mali: Kenyan evacuation flight fails to land |

News Date: 03/25/2012Outlet Full Name: Africa Online - OnlineNews Text: A Nigerian chartered flight failed to land in Bamako, the Malian capital, toevacuate stranded Kenyan foreign minister Moses Wetang'ula and three officials on Saturday,following insecurity on the ground as looting continued after Thursday's military coup that

ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure. Kenya's foreign ministry chartered the privateaircraft to fly to Bamako after the coup leader, Capt. Amadou Sanogo, cleared it to landfollowing contacts made with him by the African Union (AU). However, the plane was forced tofly back.

A UN light aircraft evacuated some of those stranded in Mali late on Friday but the Kenyanminister said he declined an offer to fly out on the single seat available to safety, while leavingmembers of his delegation behind in the West African nation.
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I could not jump into an aircraft and leave my officers behind, Wetang'ula said on phone fromMali, where he has been stranded for the third straight day.

He said the government hired the private plane from Abuja to undertake the evacuationmission of the minister, his three officials and 27 Kenyans stranded in Mali since the coupd'Etat, which has made it impossible to fly into the country.

The ruling junta closed the borders, ordered a flights ban over Bamako and a curfew, butagreed to let the Kenyan minister fly out.

The AU is also negotiating for a special delegation from the Economic Community of WestAfrican States (ECOWAS) to enter the country, Wetang'ula said.

The AU suspended Mali from its membership on Friday after condemning the coup and aske

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