As many of you may or may not know, about a week ago, France
committed military troops to the African country of Mali to combat militant
Islamist groups attempting to overthrow the government. President Hollande said this week that he is
prepared to commit France to a long term campaign against these militant groups
threatening the stability of the country.
France’s legitimacy for intervening is connected to the ties that the
European country has with Mali, the latter being one of France’s former
colonies. A lot of the militants were mercenaries that Libyan dictator Mohamar Ghadafi
had hired during his last days as despot when he was desperately trying to
cling to power against the rebel coalition that overthrew him last summer. The mercenaries fled south over the border to
their homes in Mali and other nearby Saharan countries and are now flocking to
three principal jihadist groups in Mal. It is a very odd experience to be in a
foreign country which has just gone to war.
The conflict is all over the nation’s media. I also noticed a sudden increase in military
recruitment advertisements for France’s ground army and air force.
I have taken to reading the French newspapers Le Monde and Le Figaro. The latter was
examining public opinion on the war. In
their poll, 78.2% of respondents were in favor of a protracted war in the Mali. There is very little political opposition to
socialist President Hollande’s decision either.
The only vocal critics are a few members of another socialist party (le Front Social, not Hollande’s Partie Socialiste) and a minister of the
environment. The author the article was
very surprised by the amount of support that Hollande has received from his
rivals on the political right, including many former members of the Sarkozi
administration.
In any case, in lieu of the heightened security around
France, I am taking care to be aware of my surroundings and keeping safe and
making good decisions, so no need to worry.
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