MALI: 2008 COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM

UNCLAS BAMAKO 000937 SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/CT RHONDA SHORE DEPT PLEASE PASS TO NCTC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER ASEC EFIN KCRM ML SUBJECT: MALI: 2008 COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM REF: A. STATE 120019 ¶B. STATE 124815 ¶1. The following constitutes Embassy Bamako's responses for the 2008 country report on terrorism for Mali per reftels. ¶2. No terrorist attacks occurred in Mali. Disparate Tuareg rebel groups in northern Mali attacked Malian military forces on several occasions, but none of these incidents were related to terrorist activities. Al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) continued to use isolated and remote areas of northern Mali as a safe haven. On October 31 AQIM released two Austrian tourists to government authorities in northern Mali. The Austrians were captured by AQIM in southern Tunisia in February. ¶3. Mali worked to combat terrorism and responded on terrorist financing issues. Mali's National Section for the Processing of Financial Information (CENTIF) began operations in May. The CENTIF, which reports to the Ministry of Finance, is responsible for processing information on money laundering and terrorist financing. Mali discovered no terrorist assets or information on terrorist financing. In July the Malian National Assembly ratified a new counterterrorism law that classifies terrorist financing as an act of terrorism. This legislation defines terrorism as "the commission of a violent act that causes or could cause death, injury or material harm with the intention of intimidating the population or forcing a government to do or abstain from doing something" and carries penalties ranging from terms of imprisonment to death. Mali also created an inter-agency counterterrorism commission composed of senior level officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Interior Security, Defense, Territorial Administration, and Justice. Mali is a key member of the Trans-Sahel Counter Terrorism Partnership (TSTCP). ¶4. AQIM continued to use isolated and remote areas of northern Mali as a safe haven. The Malian government knew of AQIM's presence in the northern part of the country. Mali's extremely long and porous northern border, together with severe resource constraints stemming from Mali's status as one of the poorest countries in the world, hampered the Malian government's ability to prevent AQIM from seeking refuge within northern Mali. An active and engaged member of TSCTP, Mali worked with the U.S. and other regional partners to address the threat posed by AQIM. Mali was also an active participant in U.S. programs including bilateral and regional military training and the Antiterrorism Assistance Training program. ¶4. Embassy Bamako's point of contact is Political and Economic Officer Aaron Sampson, email: sampsonab@state.gov. MILOVANOVIC