Inteview with Cheick Traore, founder of la Convergence Africaine pour le Renouveau (CARE) and candidate for president of Mali

Breaking News

By Asoka Ranaweera

The writer is a managing partner of a company that advises investors on structuring investments and developing projects in emerging and emergent markets with a focus on Africa.

Background

An unfortunate characteristic of the Malian crisis which is now firmly entrenched in global headlines is the profound lack of perspective on the crisis from Malian’s.

How is it possible that such an issue of geo-strategic importance to the world is seemingly shaped without Malian input?

I sat down with a one of Mali’s most respected political leaders who is considered a leading candidate for the presidency in Washington D.C to find out.

Cheick could you briefly explain to us what happened to Mali. Last March it was on the verge of elections in which you were a candidate for president and within the space of a year we are on the brink of an all out war?

Since the end of 2011, Mali has been going through a profound, social, and military crisis, in part prompted by a rebellion, which, in turn, provoked a coup d’état. The on-going rebellion in the north of Mali created the circumstances that led a military to overthrow the government. The coup d’état is the direct result of the military’s realization that the government was unprepared and neglected to adapt the army to present needs and democratic defense standards. The government’s unpreparedness and its failure to equip and use the military strategically made it impossible for the armed forces to contain the northern rebellion.

Although we all condemn the coup d’état, there are lessons to be learned from the crisis. Among those lessons is the notion that nations are held together through a state exhibiting the rule of law and true democracy. Only a professional, republican army and modern security forces can keep a state and nation safe. Every time that the rule of law is threatened, the nation-state can only turn to the professional army and modern security forces for protection. Every time the state fails to uphold democratic values and maintain a true, professional, republican army and modern security forces, a coup d’état will result. This is exactly what had happened in Mali.

France has taken the lead in dealing with this crisis in Mali, what is the US position? And do you think America has a well articulated policy towards Mali? If not what do you think would constitute a balanced policy?

France did take the lead in liberating Malian northern regions from terrorist rebels. We are thankful to France for that action. It is a noble and just cause. We and the US Government both believe that only legitimate institutions can defend Mali’s territorial integrity, protect the Malian people, and negotiate with rebel groups, but our approach for ending the rebellion differs. We believe that the actions of the US Government and public international institutions, which casted doubt on the imminence of the threat against rebel groups, did Mali a disservice – in essence, rebels should have always felt that the threat of war was imminent, thus deterring them from pursuing their campaign to destabilize the country.

We believe that Mali should have elections by the end of the second semester of this year. Additionally, in the run-up to the elections, the army should start restructuring itself with the help of the regional and international community. While we believe in negotiation, we do not believe in buying peace; negotiations should be effective in establishing lasting and sustainable peace, to prevent an impending civil war in the north of Mali.

Do you believe a military solution is the only way in, which peace will come to Mali?

On February 2012, ruthless, repressive and radical rebel groups MNLA and its allies AQMI and Ansar Dine seized the administrative and military centers of our northern regions. They made assaults on our culture and the values of our society. They imposed their unholy methods and beliefs on our populations. They mercilessly cut hands and legs of young people, and they slaughtered innocent men, women and children because they practice their religion differently from theirs.

We have asked for help from the world because we believe that an attack on one member of the civilized nations is an attack on all. We also believe that we should all join forces and as one destroy Al Qaeda's terrorist network, and protect our common security. Unfortunately, Most of our brothers and friends abandoned us by trying to force us in negotiating with rebels “sans foi ni loi”. You do not negotiate with extremists. They do not understand the language of negotiations. Also, it is important to note that the three northern regions which have been captured by the rebels are largely dominated, at 98%, by other ethnic groups, which are not Touareg. By insisting that we should negotiate with the Touareg rebellion, which does not even represent the majority of Touregs in the country, Mali may become embroiled in a civil war. The purpose of negotiations is to have sustainable solutions, not temporary ones.

Mali did not ask for this war, it was imposed upon us, and we should not shrink from it. Peace can only come with justice.

We still need all those who are in a position to help Mali, so that we may collaborate to find workable solutions for the people of Mali and the entire region, because this problem is not solely a Malian problem. It is a regional crisis, which will undoubtedly have international repercussions.

Finally, if the conflict is brought to an end relatively quickly, do you think elections should follow in short order? And if so will you run for the presidency?

Now that the world has accepted the facts on the crisis, and considering the terrorist actions in Algeria, things are moving toward the right direction for Mali. We believe the first phase of the war will last only three months. The second phase is prosecuting the war against those unholy jihadists for as long as it takes. As I have said earlier, we believe that Mali should have elections by the end of the second semester of this year. God willing, I will be a candidate to the Presidency of Mali. We seek to transform our country. We want to reinforce democracy in Mali by adapting universally recognized democratic values to Mali’s culture and identity.

Our party, la Convergence Africaine pour le Renouveau (CARE), is the only political party in Mali that has produced a document that discusses the genesis of the crisis and proposes solutions to address the present predicament and end the polemic. Long before the US started talking about elections in Mali, and before the start of the movement to recover the northern regions which have been invaded by Touareg rebels and extremist Islamists, CARE expressed that only a legitimate government could pursue war, negotiate with the rebels, and sign any accord or document resulting from those negotiations. Thank you for your questions and the opportunity to address the Malian crisis.

For more information on Cheick and on his political party please visit: http://www.caremali.com/