Mauritanian policeman kidnapped near Mali border | News by Country | Reuters

Chris, I was discussing as per post number 1 from nearly 3 years ago.
The nuances to which you refer are not made plain in here, nor do they make much sense to me:-
There is much discussion in here about military matters which are totally part of the politics and the political aims of governments.
To not consider the politics of a region in regard to travelling there is akin to driving with ones eyes wide shut IMO.

It's just a view of mine, and matters not a jot in the end.

__________________
Dave

French president Francois Hollande in the society of temporary Malian President Dioncoundoe Traore experienced enthusiastic welcome when visiting the historic town Timbuktu liberated by French forces from the hands of Islamic militants, report Reuters.

Traveling in areas of Sahel should be a bit safer. For my point of view, crossing Mauritania on coastal highway seams safe now. When ECOWAS peace-keeping forces will join French forces, the situation should calms down.

There is indeed much discussion of Saharan politics and the military in this thread. Almost all of it pre-dates the time when the Hubb owners made it clear that the postings were becoming too political. As Chris has pointed out, several modifications were made at that time in an effort to fix things, including the renaming of this thread and the split of Morocco from the Sahara forum so that those interested in Morocco did not have to see this thread at the top of the board on many days. Those changes were made so that information on AQIM could still be posted as Chris and I argued it was the leading issue with regards to safe travel in the Sahara. It still is. There is always going to be something of a blurred line between a posting that is purely political and one that relates to travel in the Sahara given what AQIM have done in the Sahara since 2003. The test of whether a post is reasonable/helpful/acceptable or not includes whether:
a) the information posted can be applied in some practical way to travel advice and also whether the post attempts to do that.
b) the focus is on the Sahara
c) it is calmly and objectively written
Of these (a) is the key.

I hope this helps and I hope that those posting will keep things on track because of the importance of knowing what AQIM are up to and second-guessing what they might do in the near future.

Hubb owners may also have noted that this thread is one of the most read on the entire forum.
So it should hopefully have some merit.

The French are now bombing the Ifoghas mountains heavily, using thirty aircraft targeting "logistics bases" (fuel and arms) and "training camps". Hostages are said to be alive (but in a terrible situation).
French planes pound Islamist camps in north Mali desert | Reuters

"Never has a foreign intervention in Africa been as popular as the French one in Mali" said Niger president Issofou.
Those Frenchies if they do it right this time could really boost their international image.
If they manage to broker a working and lasting agreement between touaregs and Bamako, with autonomy for the north. They are in a unique position to twist arms right now.
If they help rebuild the tombs of islamic saints the beards wilfully destroyed in Timbuktu - after the Arab League and in particular Egypt would not lend Mali a helping hand or give their support for intervention. What a setback for islamism that would be.

Issofou: "The object of this war should be not just to liberate Mali but to free the whole Sahel from this menace, which threatens not just us but also Europe, France and the world."
That would be the best news for WA travellers for years.

When did the French EVER successfully intervene in a conflict on foreign territory before? Kolwezi?

French warplanes attacked this night north of Mali, in order to do their three-week offensive finally subdued the last rebel stronghold in Kidal. Thirty aircraft were targeting Islamists training and communication centers around Tessalit - mountainous area near the Algerian border, reports the BBC.

So final push off terrorists from Mali is on the way. Their next destination should be in north Niger or south Libya. Allies should run Aqim in Maghreb till it's end. Does anyone know Belmoktar hostages destiny?

Upss: Priffe already wrote something about that.

"When did the French EVER successfully intervene in a conflict on foreign territory before?"

Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)::
"
La Force Licorne en 2011[modifier]

Au mois de février 2011, la Force Licorne a été renforcée et passe à 1 100 hommes[5].
En avril 2011 suite à la résolution 1975 du Conseil de Sécurité de l'ONU, la Force Licorne est redéployée dans le but de protéger les ressortissants français, d'apporter un soutien à l'ONUCI[6] et de détruire les armes lourdes des forces pro-Gbagbo utilisées contre des civils. Depuis le 2 avril, des éléments de commandement et trois compagnies, issues du 2e REP, du RMT et du 3e RPIMa, ont été projetées afin de renforcer les effectifs de la Force Licorne. Ils sont alors de 1 650 militaires français à Abidjan[7].
Le 11 avril 2011, les FRCI avec l'appui indirect de l'ONUCI et de la Force Licorne, ont arrêté Laurent Gbagbo[8].
Fin 2011, suite à la résolution de cette crise, les effectifs sont en baisse et passent à 450 personnels[9] puis à 300 début 2013."


See Opération Licorne - Wikipédia in French.

"That would be the best news for WA travellers for years."

Sorry, I'm French , what is WA?

West Africa

Land mine explosion between Ansongo and Menaka. Mali is truly a mess at the moment. More here:
Truck hits landmine in Mali - 4 dead | News24

(note, its not necessarily AQIM who planted the mine).

Late edit to this landmine posting:
Until now it was thought that Mali is clear of mines.
Now we know Mali is not free of landmines.
The reason the landmines are in Mali now most likely relates to the insurgency of AQIM and its splinter groups (whether or not AQIM placed the mines).
The landmine posting here is highly relevant to overlanders because
a) landmines remain active for decades
b) information on them is scarce and in some places not up to date.

If Areva settled the bounty and Governments are saying no pay, then pity the poor traveller who gets taken and has no big daddy company behind them to pay. The monies asked are way beyond any individuals/family's means. Maybe there should be some insurance cover that Horizons Unlimited can set up that we all contribute to at the start of our trips?

Any time you capitulate and pay a ransom you up the anti for the next person. If these guys never get a penny ransom then the whole idea of kidnapping will be finished as there is no incentive. I would not contribute to a fund to pay ransom and I would strongly recommend no one else set up such a fund or contribute to such a fund.

Personally, I don't WANT anyone to pay a ransom for me if I were kidnapped.

Hey Cruizer I get your drift. Just one question........ Can you tell us what you would do if it was your son.... or your daughter.... or your wife that was abducted and held???

I really can't say unless I were in that unfortunate place. What I can say is if no ransoms were being paid now we could all worry A LOT less later.

Would stopping ransom payments totally stop all kidnappings? Probably not, but it would certainly stop the kidnappings for cash.

In regards to a previous comment, was in Bamako just before Christmas. Apparently mopti was just about safe but the road leading to it had IED's all over the place.



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