Here's a nice backgrounder on the French intervention in Mali, including a note on why it seemed to happen out of the blue:
The drama of the Islamist offensive should not be underestimated—a successful assault on Sevaré would have meant the loss of the only airstrip in Mali capable of handling heavy cargo planes, apart from that in Bamako. The fall of Sevaré would in turn have made any future military operation a nightmare for West African or other friendly forces, and it would have chased tens of thousands of civilians from their homes.
If we're looking for an 'it's about the...', by the way, France has extensive Uranium mining concessions over the border in Niger.
Comments