The War in Mali: the Road to Nowhere

... of the desert , so that in the long run the conflict also carries racial connotations. These people largely belong to traditional moderate Sunni Islam, rejecting a Sharia state, and represent 85-90 percent of Malians . They seem to accept the French intervention because it has prevented the bloodshed that would have happened had the Tuareg and Islamists advanced further into the south-west. The French can also expect support from certain Tuareg tribes, the Islamic Movement of Azawad that has split from Ansar Dine. The all-Malian group controls the Kidal area 1,500 km northeast of Bamako and ...