By Michael Lambert and Jason Warner, Special to CNN
Editor's note: Michael Lambert is director of the African Studies Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Jason Warner is a Ph.D. student in African Studies and Government at Harvard University. The views expressed are their own.
Ansar Dine is the new power player in northern Mali, and the United States is worried.
The Islamist rebel group, which in June took de facto control over a swath of the Sahara the size of Texas, is raising diplomatic eyebrows across the globe for its destruction of U.N. World Heritage Sites in Timbuktu, the threat that it could pose to U.S. and global security interests, and the humanitarian crisis manifested by an estimated 420,000 displaced persons.
With Ansar Dine operating in a largely ungoverned expanse of the Sahara, the United States and other countries are concerned that, like Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia before it, northern Mali could become an out of the way haven for affiliates of al Qaeda. Yet despite the potential threats it poses, Ansar Dine’s newness, coupled with constantly shifting alliances in the region, have made a clear understanding of the group hard to come by. With that in mind it’s worth asking what Ansar Dine is, what it wants, and how the rest of the world is responding.
Ansar Dine, which roughly translates to “defenders of the faith,” is a rebel group that emerged in Mali in March 2012 that seeks the installation of a strict interpretation of sharia law. It gained partial control over the northern stretches of Mali alongside another rebel group, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), on March 22, when the government in Bamako was overthrown in a military coup.
Ansar Dine is led by Iyad Ag Ghaly, the former senior commander of a rebel military group in Mali in the 1990s who has also formerly served as a negotiator for the release of Westerners kidnapped by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), of which his cousin is a commander. Known as a powerful, if informal, powerbroker in northern Malian politics for decades, reports indicate that Ag Ghaly created Ansar Dine after his failed attempts to wrest control of the MNLA for himself.
Though based in Mali, Ansar Dine is a truly transnational outfit. Ag Ghaly allegedly received Salafist religious training from Pakistani “missionaries” in northern Mali in the 1990s, views that were abandoned then rekindled during his diplomatic service in Saudi Arabia years later. Ansar Dine is believed to be financially backed by Qatar, and the group is believed to draw its membership from a range of nations including Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Afghanistan and Algeria. Global in reach, Ansar Dine recently brought its efforts online by releasing a propaganda video and establishing a presence in jihadist chat rooms.
So, what does Ansar Dine want? The group’s stated goal is the imposition of strict sharia law throughout Mali. After having taken control of the three major cities in the north, including Kidal, Timbuktu, and for the most part, Gao, Ansar Dine has banned alcohol, smoking, Friday visitations to cemeteries, watching soccer, and women are now required to wear veils.
But part of the challenge in gaining a broader understanding of Ansar Dine lies in the fact that the group’s allegiances are constantly shifting amongst at least four other main players in northern Mali: the MNLA, AQIM, the West African jihadist group MUJAO, and the Malian army. To that end, a Malian newspaper described the north of the country as “total confusion; it is difficult to know who controls what!”
Ansar Dine can’t be understood without mention of the MNLA. The MNLA is composed primarily of nomadic Tuaregs, the historic inhabitants of northern Mali, who have periodically rebelled against Malian authority over the north of the country. When Malian president Amadou Touré was ousted in a putsch in March 2012, the MNLA consolidated power in the vacuum left in the north. Ansar Dine then brokered a parasitic alliance with the MNLA that Mali expert Jeremy Keenan describes as the MNLA taking over a town, and upon its seizure, Ansar Dine entering behind them and “start[ing] bossing everyone around about sharia law.” Allied with Ansar Dine, in April the MNLA proclaimed the creation of a new state called the Islamic Republic of Azawad, a claim the African Union rejected as “null and of no value whatsoever”.
That marriage ended in a quick and messy divorce: Ansar Dine’s vision for the installation of sharia didn’t mesh with the MNLA’s desire for secular statehood. On June 26 and 27, Ansar Dine made public proclamations that it had chased out remaining MNLA elements from all major northern Malian cities, and was in control of the entirety of the region. For its part, the MNLA currently denies any affiliation with Ansar Dine, and has accused the Western media of portraying more of a connection between the two groups than actually exists. At present, the MNLA claims that its departure from northern Mali was strategic and was made so as to “prepare our new war strategies.”
An important ally of Ansar Dine is the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO). Appearing in March as a self-proclaimed offshoot of AQIM, MUJAO’s goal is to provide “all kinds of material and military support for young Muslims determined to raise the banner of Islam.” Many residents of MUJAO-occupied towns like the group because it has provided social services not offered by either the MNLA or the Malian state. The group draws its membership from across West Africa, and it was reported that MUJAO’s Gao branch recently welcomed some 200 recruits from countries including Burkina Faso, Senegal, and the Ivory Coast. Other reports condemn MUJAO for recruiting children.
Primary amongst the other local actors Ansar Dine deals with is AQIM, which has real (if nebulous) associations with both Ansar Dine and MUJAO, as well as the cadre of South American drug traffickers using West Africa as a cocaine trafficking alleyway to Europe. Ansar Dine is further having to confront the remaining soldiers loyal to the Malian army, some of whom are now defecting and siding with Ansar Dine. For their part, some Malians in occupied areas have rebelled against Ansar Dine’s presence. Their protests have largely been directed against the harsh application of sharia law.
Looking forward, Ansar Dine’s hold on the north shows no signs of easing. The current Malian government, in a shambles in the aftermath of the March overthrow, is unlikely to have the ability to force a military solution to the problem.
Another approach for ousting Ansar Dine could come in the form of a transnational African military coalition. Led by calls from Benin’s President Boni Yayi, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has considered deploying an intervention force, though others worry that a West African-led intervention would have a greater destabilizing effect throughout the region than the crisis itself.
As the United States contemplates how to deal with Ansar Dine, the reality is that a U.S. or Western allied military intervention would be exceedingly difficult and potentially injudicious. Though the U.S. has recently said that “all options are being considered,” such an incursion would likely only add fuel to Ansar Dine’s ideological fire. Despite its hazards, the best option is to support Mali and West African regional organizations such as ECOWAS as they craft a solution that has the potential for long term stability, and one that is in the best interests of the people of the region.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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If the price is right, Ansar Dine will switch loyalty and will be known as freedom fighters.
That sounds about right, Bhola Mo. That's why we have so many "allies" around the world, more than half of them bought and paid for!
There's nothing wrong to be freedom fighters. But many of them are just a bunch of criminals, hungry for power. By gaining control of a country, they think they will be taken seriously and gain respect as national or regional keyplayers.
The winners will call themselves the freedom fighters. History is controlled by the victors
I thought this blog was suspended for plagiarism
You know, I get so tired of hearing how the U.S. claims “all options are being considered". It's all talk. We all know the U.S. isn't going to take military action. How many OTHER times has the U.S. said "all options are being considered", and nothing was done?? Then things got worse, until we've found ourselves in a position where now those "other options"...ie. military...are no longer options. In the meantime, Iran keeps perfecting its missiles and defenses, and North Korea keeps saber rattling while working on its nukes. So what is it we're doing? Don't get me wrong...I'm not trying to sound like a warmonger. But I'm tired of hearing the same tired words about how we are "considering all options".
Yeah, ya kinda sound like a war-monger. And "considering all options" should not be interpreted as "we will immediately jump on the most extreme option". Well, not as long as Rebuplicans are kept out of the commander-in-chief's seat anyway. Something about that chair really goes to the heads of those nincompoops.
The reason you sound so much like a stupid warmonger is that you are one! It's about time that we all got tired of your right-wing, Tea Partying,war happy stupidity. After all, there's absolutely no glory in war, just death, destruction and heartache!
The really sad part of all you left wing democraps is you would prefer to wait until all those freakin idiots you want to protect from other nations attack us on our soil and then beg your commander and crap to come and protect you.
you have no options.wars cost,in lives and money.
When is the non-muslim world going to stand up and create a sufficient armed force to deal with these fanatics across the globe wherever they spring up? Certainly the U.N. can't do it. Perhaps expanding NATO is the answer, including all non-communist countries.
Non Muslim world is realizing hinduism, criminality of hindu Jew's, filthy secular s and their hindu gentle, terrorist slave Christians, Truth absolute is one th move and hinduism, criminality of hindu sanatan Jew's, criminal shaman secular s will go to dust very soon, take it from original Yakobi, hindu, impostor.
Great Caesar's Ghost, son, that is quite a blast of crazy.
Truth absolute seems to be as you hind, absurd from lens of hinduism, ignorance, other wise i have posted nothing less of truth absolute.
Well, that made no sense whatsoever.
NO BLOODY COMMENT...NEXT
hiduism, ignorance of hindu Jew's filthy secular s, having no knowledge of truth of situation but spewing their hinduism, absurdness against truth absolute. First of all word Ansar Din is not as thy hind, absurd, but Anasr e Theen, follower of way of of truth absolute,
foundation of American fundamental law marked as God, fundamental law of USA and Ansar e Theen are not different but same in essence, hinduism, criminality spewed by hindu Jew's, filthy secular s and their hindu criminal gentile slave Christian's is a violation of const-itu--tion of USA, amounting to hinduism, treason, needed to be dealt with iron fist to eliminate hindu Judaism, filthy secular ism from face of earth.
So, Ansar Dine is funded by Quatar. As we know Quatar also supports the Syrian rebels, and is apparently bribing defections there. Bottom line if Ansar Dine is an example of what Quatar wants in Mali, it may well be an indicator of what they want in Syria. In terms of what one knows about Ansar Dine that will not be good for us by any means.
From what I read our government is allied with Qatar in support of terror in Syria. Are these people in the State Department taking care of our national interests? I do not care what party is in power, I do care about the interests of the USA.
this is another group funded by the royal saudi family. they are the evil in this and yet we are in bed with them....go digure
hinduism source of hindufilthyracism.
Please attempt to string together at least one coherent sentence please. Your posts are unintelligible.
word hindu is based on Latin word hindrance, negativity, Hun, great, as in white Huns of central Asia, Han to be in greatness, as in Han dynesty of china, hin, negative to both of them, hindu, a noun in negativity, hinduism, way of negativity.
Word Jew is based on Latin word Yehood, Ya, attentive from heart and mind, base word your English word yes, hood, habit , meaning, self centered, secular or otherwise known as a pig, self centered, or denier of truth absolute.
Con s-ti-un does recognize truth absolute as foundation of USA and does not recognize hindu Judaism, filthy secularism, criminality in any form, religion or otherwise, so does Islam, So Ansar e Din has same agenda as the founding fathers of USA. They both are same in essence, Obedience to truth absolute on any cost.
If you speak English as a first language, then please go back to school. If you speak it as a second or third language, then please get a better translator.
Now these jokers in Washington D.C. are starting to cry "wolf" over Ansar Dine in Mali. Haven't we been in enough of these idiotic wars already? Evidently not, according to the right-wing clowns in Washington! Besides, how much harm can a poor country like Mali do anyway? Very little indeed!
It is not Ansar e Din, but hind, fear of hindu's, deniers of truth absolute for being hindu, criminals in hindu Judaism, filthy secular ism, making them go hind loco.
Wherever there is a problem in the world Pakistan always has something to do with it, and yet they are our allies.
Every truth full loves to be on front to eliminate hinduism, denial of truth absolute, and Pakistanis are no exception.
live with it, hindu's, criminals, Pakistanis are proud to take lead of the battle.
There's no place in the world where the words 'islamists' and 'peace and prosperity' exist together.
These cancers need to be hunted down and exterminated wherever required. They are brainwashed murderers who care about nothing and no one around them that doesn't stand for the same sick ideology that has turned them into a waste of skin themselves.
Only a hindu from hindered gutter land india can claim it in his hinduism, absurdity, let us know, who taught hindu's, ignorant of india to dress up like human, out of their dress like their hindu ignorant god, monkey.
Another CIA creation, how nice.
Dine is no threat to USA, he is strictly a local one.
al-Qaeda's war against USA is primarily economic, and it's major allies, the Republican and Democratic parties have greatly harmed USA.
The last two presidents have been teerible leaders.
..and they are supported by Qatar and Saudi Arabia and Pakistan's Taleban. Qatar and Saudi Arabia supported by US. And we worry about this group? Why?
A minor diversion from our real problem. Jobs, jobs, jobs. The only reason this comes on the radar is our current weakened economy.
The goal of the Muslim fundamentalists is to kill the infidels(non muslims) or convert them to Islam, plain and simple. This is the way these guys think, I was raised muslim and know this first hand. Now, the Western world can stick its' head in the sand and pretend nothing is happening and this will come back at us in an ugly way. The US and Europe can target these animals wherever they appear and annihilate them before this gets out of hand.
One day we will have problems here with the muslims. These radicals are born of the average muslim and some convert to a more extreme version. It's being in denial if we think this won't eventually happen. i can see this happeneing maybe ten fifteen or twenty years fromk now. It will affect our children.
wait and see, end of hindism.\, racism and hindu's, denier of truth absolute in near future, not just in USA but around the globe by truth full of Islam.
There will have to be a religious war here in the. future or the muslims will take control
Islam is a boil on the worlds rear end and needs to be lanced and the evil putrid puss squeezed out of it.
Islam is nothing but used hindu toilet paper.
hinduism, heart burn of hindu's looser, End of hinduism, criminality of hindu's criminals will be dealt with by truthful of Islam , not just in usa but around the globe.
Yes we know dummy... Jews and Indians are bad. Thanks for the update you kook.
We need an extremest anti extremist group.
ss, I agree. But the only measure we have left is SUPER extreem: Mass and clean extinction within minutes of certain geographic regions These wacko Muslims are also a thorn in the a** of Russia and China. I truly do not believe that the Muslims realize that the Muslim faith can be turned into a memory like stone-henge within minutes
I hate to say it, but the Muslims are truly wacko. How many sects exist now WITHIN the Muslim faith? Why are they constantly at war with each other. Even the leaders of each sect frequently swich alliance from one sect to the other. They truly are insane and dangerous.
I'm visiting Timbuktu next week. Should I bring a head scarf, a veil or a ski mask? Death to the no-believers!!!! Abadabadabadaba doooo!!!
take the snout of ganesh with you
i'm sick of muslims. period.
YOU are part of the civilized world.
Perhaps this is more up your alley......ya hindu trash
HINDU GODDESS PANCHALI
This goddess was married to five brothers. Which one would become the legitimate father of his child should she have one? Dr Charles (renowned author and an authority on India) says that instances of incest are common in Hindu scriptures
And also in real life. I am married to my daughter
Oh nothing a few drones won't solve.
In case nobody noticed, the muslim kooks are absolutely terrified of drones. "If you don't stop the drone attacks, we will not give vacines to our children!" as if that is some threat we give a rat's behind about.
Drone Drone and Drone some more.
Did you hear that noise mohammad? No, but what is that red laser on your forehead?
You are good!
In bed? aka bachabaaz gandhi
INDIA: S*X WITH COWS
In many Hindu temples there are sculptures depicting men having s*x not only with other men but also cows. What is the meaning of this? Is not the cow sacred? If it is, then it should be worshipped not s*xually assaulted!
ARE INDIANS UBER TERRORISTS OR WHAT???? Forget the GDP, focus on these murder statistics.
In India, millions of girls are strangled, slowly starved or simply tossed in the trash. Moreover, in India, at least 1,370 girls are aborted every day. As a comparison, some 250 Indians die every day in road accidents. Terrorists killed about six people, on an average, every day in 2009. In the last two decades of economic progress, 10 million girls have died as such in India.
SHAME ON INDIA AND ITS BARBARIC AND MEDIEVAL CULTURE !!!
Indians have killed more human beings (girls particularly) than Al Qaeda and Talibans put together.
TERRORIST GROUPS IN INDIA
• RASHTRIYA SWAYAM SEWAK SHANG (R.S.S.)
• VISHWA HINDU PARISHAD
• HINDU MUNNANI
• ARYA SAMAJ
• SHIV SENA
• BHARATIYA JANATA PARISHAD
• SANT SAMITI
• HINDU MAHASABHA
• BAAJRANG DAL
they were involved in Norway and Wisconsin massacre
INDIA: THE DEVADASI SYSTEM THRIVES
In India, the practice of dedicating young Harijan girls (Mahars, Mangs, Dowris and Chambhar) at childhood to a goddess, and their initiation into s*x trade when they attain puberty continues to thrive in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and other parts of South India.
Mobs are out on streets and civil war has begun in India. About 30 million people are in state of exodus fleeing to safe areas in India. crowds are burning buildings, cars, busses etc and it is common knowledge all hell is going to break loose after eid this sunday.
Yes, parts of Mumbai look like war zone. It is getting ugly in India. People are making a run to banks to withdraw cash. Massive migration has begun and people are escaping to safe places.
i am hearing mumbai has been cut off from rest of country. mossad is patrolling streets
Indian civil war has spread to south. Goa riots are also reported.
Pune and Chennai are the latest areas to go on riots...
"Experimental Democracy" has failed in India. An experiment that was being shoved down India's throat by western countries too eager to propagate their own values on a country that was trying to decolonize itself while trying to shed the communist skin of being a Soviet ally. India was thus trapped. What has become evident now is that this "Experimental Democracy" has marginalized the country. The marginalized groups of the country – Dalits and ‘backward’ castes/classes, indigenous ‘tribal’ people and religious minorities have been disenfranchised. "The belief that corruption is the important issue in the country is shared only by the minority living in urban areas and towns who have been beneficiaries of economic liberalization policies mandated by western countries. The most important challenges of Indian society remain as follows: justice, social and economic equality and equal access to certain standards of life for all Indians. “While India seems too eager to please its western masters and put on a progressive and softer face for CNN for public consumption, people see through it. The consequences of this "Band – Aid" approach will be brutal for India geo-politically when it realizes that the GDP statistics that it has been relying to gage its progress has not amounted to much in the long run.
We have now seen civil disobedience in India of above. The entire country is in flames and today morning the unrest and protests have spread to Chennai and Pune also besides, Goa, Mumbai, Bangalore, New Delhi, Assam etc.
Excellent observation. Well stated.
I am a useless piece of camel dung. I post anti American, anti GB, anti semite, anti India, anti modern anything because I am a good moooooslem. I steal people's monikers because I am so ashamed of myself and post the most stupid comment. When people get angry with me, I claim insanity. I am the same guy.
Human rights, women's rights and freedom of speech are the cornerstone of american value system. We cannot have pseudo allies like Indian hindus who flaunt these value systems time and again. We need to part ways with Indians. I have sent a message to my congressional delegation that I do not support India on suppressing the minorities and expect same from them if they want my support.
What a shame that India had to rsesort to media/social networking censorship to control the ongoing civil war. Apparently, text messaging etc. has been shut down. Just like in Libya and Syria and Iran. Americans need to distance themselves from such a country with socialist/communist tendencies. Obama needs to be careful that the backlash from american voters does not effect him in the prez elections.
I have to disagree with you. First, in hindu culture nothing is useless particulalry camel dung. For example, we Indians consider cow dung as cornerstone of our domestic policy. Hindus in India smile with happiness as a large cow craps on the floor of their home. Now, with regards to the "anti" theory you presented ... these are all mutually exclusive. For instance, India based on hinduism is a cult unlike Chirstianity, Islam and Judaism which are ways of life and monotheistic.
The above comment is in response to @Joseph McCarthy
I am a useless piece of camel dung. I post anti American, anti GB, anti semite, anti India, anti modern anything because I am a good moooooslem. I steal people's monikers because I am so ashamed of myself and post the most stupid comment. When people get angry with me, I claim insanity. I am the same guy. I take anyone's name so that I keep spewing hate and hate and more hate.
hey, r u brain dead or what? u keep on parroting the same nonsensical sentences endlessly.