Conflict in Mali

Throughout the past few weeks Islamist terrorists and Mali rebels have been pressing their way south through the countryside of Mali, only to be stopped by the French. They got as far as the city of Diabaly, only 300 miles away from the capital itself. Thanks to French intervention though, the city was not held for long. The French were able to send air strikes that struck their ammunition and equipment, thus forcing the rebels to flee the city. Before this all took place, there was the overthrowing of the Mali government by the Tuareg rebels. They wanted the independence of northern Mali in the region called Azawad.  This led to one event after the next, escalating to include terrorists. There have been rumors and evidence that al-Quim, the Afghanistan terrorist group, have been the ones behind all this conflict in Africa, including the recent attack on the Algerian Gas Plant. With Northern Africa being so prosperous in gas and oil, these recent conflicts could greatly damage the world economy, which is one of the reasons why the French have decided to intervene  Only time will tell what will happen next. 



- Gabe Modder