‘US Has No Plan To Deploy Troops In Mali’

THE United States government does not have any plan to deploy troops to Mali to help consolidate the fragile peace that currently exists in the West African country.

The US, according to the country’s Ambassador in Nigeria, Terence McCulley, does not favour either the  entrenchment of its African Command (AFRICOM) or sending special forces to Mali as part of its peace building mechanism and anti-terrorism strategy on the continent.

McCulley who is also the American Permanent Representative to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), spoke alongside the US Ambassador to Mali, Mary Beth Leonard in a telephonic conference with journalists in Abuja, Bamako (Mali) and Lagos.

Responding to The Guardian’s question on the need to provide support for the African-led International support Mission for Mali (AFISMA), he said: “We have a training support for AFISMA. Certainly, we do not envisage US troops on the ground. We are cooperating with the efforts to bring about peace in Mali. For example, we cooperate with Nigeria in terms of pre-deployment training such as has just held in Jaji.

“This year alone, we have provided $96 million to help AFISMA and the US is hoping to provide additional training. Additionally, $52 million is in the pipeline for logistics, also a contract is on the way for life support for AFISMA.”

Acknowledging that the problem in Mali has a regional dimension with groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria going to that country for terrorism training, the American envoy however implored the federal government to step up and meet the peculiar challenges that breed alienation and a resort to militancy.

He said: “That is why we advocate multi- pronged approach in solving the security problem in Nigeria. The Nigerian government has the responsibility to address the economic and social situation. 2000 people have been killed since 2009 when the Boko haram insurgency started. What we want is a comprehensive strategy that helps to take care of the situation without killing of civilians; and where there is respect for human rights.”

The US says it has already given $6.5 million in support of the upcoming elections in Mali, even as Ambassador Leonard reported yesterday that “there is still fighting in northern Mali and ethnic tensions are still high.”

Corroborating Ambassador Leonard’s submission, McCulley maintained that the hope of the US is that its support for AFISMA “would continue to restore Mali’s territorial integrity.”

The US ambassador also disclosed yesterday that the agreement which his country has with Nigeria’s northern neighbour, Niger is helping the allies fighting understand the situation in the region.

The international coalition helping to restore peace in Mali fear that worsening corruption may continue to harm the country’s wobbling economy. The country which was ranked 78th in 2011 in the anti-corruption index, has since dropped to number 105, one of the reasons the military gave for its intervention which was eventually smeared by the resurgence of Islamic terrorists and tribal militants.