EAC DECISIONS REGARDING ATTACKS IN KIDAL AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAMAKO 000578 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/23/2016 TAGS: ASEC PREL PGOV PINR CASC ML SUBJECT: EAC DECISIONS REGARDING ATTACKS IN KIDAL AND MENAKA - SITREP 2 REF: BAMAKO 00577 Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson, Embassy Bamako, Reason 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) As noted in reftel, the Ambassador chaired an EAC meeting at 1400 following reports of apparently coordinated attacks on Malian military bases in Kidal and Menaka. The results of the EAC meeting are noted below. ¶2. (C) The Embassy's RSO confirmed that no tier one tripwires have been reached. The EAC decided to send a warden message reminding AmCits in Mali of the standing Embassy guidance recommending against travel north of the Niger River per the Embassy's consular information sheet. ¶3. (C) Official and USG-related travel to northern Mali will be postponed until further notice. This includes a trip to Timbuktu and Gao by the Ambassador that was scheduled to begin May 27. ¶4. (C) The six Peace Corps volunteers posted to Gao will stand fast. Peace Corps will instruct a seventh volunteer in a village on the outskirts of Gao to move into the city to join the other six volunteers. ¶5. (C) The U.S. contingents of the Joint Combined Exercise Training (JCET) programs underway in Timbuktu and Gao will remain within the city limits, keep a low profile and wear civilian clothing. There are currently 19 U.S. special forces members in Gao and 16 in Timbuktu. Many of their Malian counterparts have been mobilized to respond to the events in Kidal and Menaka. ¶6. (C) The aircraft in Dakar scheduled to provide air support for humanitarian operations associated with the Timbuktu and Gao JCETs will stand down until further notice. 7 (C) The Embassy continues to receive conflicting reports of the situation in Kidal and Menaka. Additional sitreps will follow. McCulley