NORTHERN MALI POLICE BLOTTER AND EVENTS CALENDAR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAMAKO 000942

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2018
TAGS: PINS PINR ASEC KCOR PHUM ML
SUBJECT: NORTHERN MALI POLICE BLOTTER AND EVENTS CALENDAR
FOR NOV-DEC 2008

REF: A. BAMAKO 00932

B. 06 BAMAKO 00591

C. BAMAKO 00800

D. BAMAKO 00888

E. IIR 6 958 0019 09

Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson, Embassy Bamako, for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

1.(C) Summary: During a December 14 visit to Gao and
Timbuktu, President Amadou Toumani Toure urged Tuareg rebels
to return to the negotiating table, announced his intention
to travel to Kidal, and revealed that many of those arrested
during the Malian military's September 2008 operation against
the Ganda-Izo militia group would be released from prison.
President Toure's message to Tuareg rebels and Kidal travel
plans may be linked to the upcoming meeting in Kidal between
Malian officials and Tuareg rebel leaders Iyad ag Ghali and
Ibrahim Bahanga (Ref. A). The Embassy also received
additional details on the November 2 carjacking of a hunting
party of Gulf state Arabs north of Menaka. Meanwhile,
according to local media several Malian military officers in
Bamako were reportedly arrested for selling military
equipment to unknown buyers. End Summary.

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ATT to Rebels: Come Down from the Mountains (Again)
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2.(U) During a December 14 trip to Gao, President Toure
urged Tuareg rebels to come down from the mountains and
return to the negotiating table. President Toure traveled to
Gao to open the newly paved strip of road leading from Gao to
Ansongo to Mali's border with Niger. The road project was
financed by the European Union. President Toure's message to
Tuareg rebels was nearly identical to the one he issued in
May 2006 following rebel attacks on Malian military outposts
in Menaka and Kidal (Ref. B). Agence France-Presse quoted
President Toure as stating that "we do not want war. May
those who do want war go elsewhere." President Toure also
announced his intention to travel to Kidal at some point in
the near future.

3.(C) President Toure's entreaty to Tuareg rebels and
apparent travel plans for Kidal may figure into the Malian
government's effort to set the scene, and prepare the Malian
public, for an upcoming meeting with Tuareg rebel leaders
Iyad ag Ghali and Ibrahim Bahanga in Kidal.

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Amnesty for Some Ganda-Izo Members
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4.(C) To soothe tensions in the Gao-Ansongo area,
particularly among local Songhai and Peuhl communities,
President Toure announced the impending release of 17
individuals arrested by the Malian military in September
following an outburst of violence by the previously unknown
Ganda-Izo militia. Members of the Ganda-Izo allegedly
murdered four Tuaregs near the town of Ansongo, south of Gao,
on September 1. Malian forces subsequently arrested an
estimated 44 suspected Ganda-Izo militants. Most of these
arrests occurred during a September 16 military attack on a
Ganda-Izo "base" in the village of Fafa, halfway between
Ansongo and the border with Niger (Ref. C). President Toure
said anyone suspected of involvement in the September 1
murders would remain in prison. "Those who have killed,"
said President Toure as quoted by Agence France Press, "will
go before the courts." Following the action in Fafa,
authorities in Niger arrested and extradited the Ganda-Izo's
leader, Amadou Diallo, to Bamako. Diallo remains in prison
in Bamako. No charges against Diallo have been filed.

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November 2 Carjacking of Qatari Hunting Party
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5.(C) On November 2 a party of hunters from either Qatar or
the United Arab Emirates was carjacked by unknown bandits
north of Menaka in northern Mali. The incident occurred two
weeks after the International Committee for the Red Cross
(ICRC) lost two Toyota Landcruisers to bandits on the road
between Gao and Kidal. The Qatari hunters reportedly lost
four 4x4s and perhaps as much as 750,000 euros. Some Tuareg
contacts have said that the bandits were linked to Ibrahim
Bahanga while others have indicated that the thieves were
acting independent of any Tuareg rebel group. On November 12
National Assembly Deputy Ibrahim ag Mohamed Asselah told the
Embassy that he had been sitting in the office of Minister of

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Territorial Administration Kafougouna Kone when Minister of
Internal Security Sadio Gassama broke in to relate news of
the Qatari hunting incident. Asselah played a key role in
securing the October 31 release of two Austrian tourists
captured by AQIM (Ref. D). Asselah said he, Ministers Kone
and Gassama joked that the Qatari hunters got what they
deserved since they were presumably hunting illegally and had
no intention of investing in the local economy. Several
Tuareg contacts reported that the November 2 incident did not
prevent the Qatari nationals from continuing with their
hunting trip. No contacts who discussed this incident with
the Embassy mentioned any suspicion of AQIM involvement.

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Military Officers and Black Market Arms Sales
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6.(U) On December 11 newspapers in Bamako not always known
for their accuracy reported that several "high ranking"
military officers were arrested for suspicion of selling
military equipment, possibly including heavy weaponry, to
unidentified buyers. Sold equipment allegedly included
pick-up trucks, spare parts, and perhaps weapons (Ref. E).
Arrested officers reportedly were originally detained in
Kati, outside of Bamako, before being transferred to a prison
in Gao. The Malian Army's Director of Information and Public
Relations (DIRPA) is currently investigating the allegations.
DIRPA director Idrissa Traore denied reports of illicit
weapons sales and downplayed reports of black market vehicle
sales. Traore told the Malian press that the vehicle sales
in question had simply failed to follow regular
administrative procedures.

7.(C) Several Malian contacts have noted that reports of
illicit arms sales by members of the Malian military are
nothing new, but that these transactions generally involve
small arms and munitions sold by lower ranking military
officers - as opposed to higher level officers selling heavy
equipment.
MILOVANOVIC