KIDAL FORUM BRINGS CLOSURE TO TUAREG REBELLION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAMAKO 000374 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV EFIN ECON ML SUBJECT: KIDAL FORUM BRINGS CLOSURE TO TUAREG REBELLION REF: A. 06 BAMAKO 00591 ¶B. 06 BAMAKO 01032 Classified By: Political Officer Glenn Fedzer for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) ¶1. (C) Summary: The Kidal forum, organized to bring closure to a Tuareg uprising in May, 2006, brought together senior Malian government officials, including the President and Prime Minister, Tuareg leaders, and representatives from a broad range of donor countries to address the persistent poverty and isolation that are believed to be the root causes of the region's instability. The March 22-24 meeting also provided Malian President Toure (ATT) an opportunity prior to the upcoming Presidential election to demonstrate that the Tuareg "problem" was resolved. Air lift support provided to the Malian Government and the diplomatic community for the Forum by the Special Operations Command proved to be a highly visible, and deeply appreciated, testament to USG support for peace in Northern Mali. Real outcomes may be elusive, but when challenged with "why are these promises different," the Prime Minister cited the presence of senior officials and diplomats (many only able to attend due to the USG-provided airlift) as the clearest demonstration that this time, the Malian and international commitment is sincere. End Summary. ¶2. (U) The Kidal Forum, with invitations extended to Ambassadors, heads of development agencies, and senior Malian officials, was held March 22-24 in Mali's most remote, and inaccessible, regional capital. Kidal is the home of several thousands of Mali's Tuareg minority, and has been the focal point of two major rebellions and some minor uprisings against the central government since independence, the last in May of 2006 (reftel A). Travel from Bamako to Kidal normally requires three days by 4x4; routine commercial air service is unavailable, and the gravel air field lacks even the most basic ground support facilities. ¶3. (C) The ostensible objective of the Forum was to promote a Malian ten year development plan for the north (centered on Kidal but extending to Tessalit, Gao, and Timbuktu),put together in a few weeks before the forum by officials in the Ministry of Planning and Territorial Development. The plan incisively analyzed the obstacles blocking development in northern Mali, but lacked clear oversight mechanisms or funding commitments from the central government. The Forum was also intended--and for the moment may have succeeded--in putting to rest the May 2006 Tuareg uprising. The President deftly used the Kidal Forum as a highly public, and well publicized, platform to assert that he had peacefully resolved the conflict, an important bit of "theater" just prior to the first round of Mali's presidential election, scheduled for April 29th. ¶4. (C) USG Airlift support was the critical difference in making the Forum effective. Tuaregs in the past have indicated a lack of confidence in the Malian government's capacity--and will--to implement assistance programs in the north. Without the significant USG-facilitated outside participation to lend credence to Malian Government intentions, the forum may have failed as an instrument of reconciliation. Members of the Diplomatic and International community were unequivocal in their appreciation of the USG, noting it was the only way they would have been able to participate. "All the world," as one Malian official put it, could see US commitment to the region with the arrival in Kidal of the C-130 carrying the Prime Minister and other Malian ministers and members of the diplomatic corps. ¶5. (C) Donors remained lukewarm to the 10 year development plan as presented, and elected neither to endorse it directly nor pledge any financial backing, but they did use the forum as an opportunity to publicly highlight their current efforts in the region--and make clear that peace was necessary for these programs to continue. The European Union, in conjunction with Canada, the United States, and Switzerland, also opted to make a joint statement emphasizing general support for the development of the north, and the need for peace to sustain that development. ¶6. (U) The major complaint articulated by Malian participants in the forum was the need for improved transportation links--road, air, and river--(reftel B),but Tuaregs also noted the lack of education, health care, water and economic opportunities. For many Malian officials, diplomats and representatives of international organizations, the trip was their first to Kidal. A southern Malian, admittedly dismissive of complaints from the north in the past, said the trip opened his eyes to the deep isolation and BAMAKO 00000374 002 OF 002 poverty confronting residents of the region. The town of Kidal does have electricity and water for part of each day, but lacks even a single paved road. Underlining the need for greater institutional support to promote development in the region, the US Ambassador and the Malian Minister of Investment took the opportunity to inaugurate a micro-credit operation receiving capital and training from USAID. ¶7. (C) Comment: A senior Malian military officer present at the Kidal Forum claimed that President Toure was briefed three courses of action after the May uprisings: counterattack, negotiate, or negotiate and then counterattack after the election. The officer claimed President Toure committed himself to peaceful negotiations, and remained sincere in efforts to keep the Tuaregs in the Malian orbit without resorting to military options. The Kidal Forum as an element of that approach appears to have reduced tensions in Northern Mali for the moment, with the USG C-130 indispensably contributing to that outcome. Should development efforts lag, violent outbreaks may reoccur, but donors at least can better appreciate the obstacles to such efforts-and the Malians' need of foreign assistance to overcome them. McCulley