Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BAMAKO44
2009-01-22 15:22:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bamako
Cable title:  

YOUTH GROUP LEADER ARRESTED AFTER CALLING FOR

Tags:  PGOV PINS PHUM ML 
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DE RUEHBP #0044/01 0221522
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 221522Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAMAKO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9932
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 0539
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAMAKO 000044 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2019
TAGS: PGOV PINS PHUM ML
SUBJECT: YOUTH GROUP LEADER ARRESTED AFTER CALLING FOR
FORCE AGAINST TUAREG REBELS

REF: 08 BAMAKO 00822

Classified By: Pol/Con Officer Scott Reese, Embassy Bamako,
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAMAKO 000044

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2019
TAGS: PGOV PINS PHUM ML
SUBJECT: YOUTH GROUP LEADER ARRESTED AFTER CALLING FOR
FORCE AGAINST TUAREG REBELS

REF: 08 BAMAKO 00822

Classified By: Pol/Con Officer Scott Reese, Embassy Bamako,
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

1.(C) Summary. On January 14, plain clothes police officers
arrested Circle for Youth Reflection and Action (CRAJ) leader
Mahamane Mariko and held him for approximately 28 hours.
Over the past few weeks CRAJ has posted throughout Bamako
yellow leaflets with slogans in black block letters
proclaiming, to quote a few, "Down with Qadhafi, Godfather of
Bandits and Mercenaries," "No to the Reintegration of Armed
Bandits into the Army," and "Liberate the Hostages." On
January 12 Mariko held a press conference during which he
called on the Malian government to use force against Tuareg
rebels in northern Mali and announced more CRAJ sponsored
activities in days to come. Although several opposition
parties urged President Amadou Toumani Toure to respond with
force in May 2006 when Tuareg rebels first attacked Malian
military outposts in Kidal and Menaka, mainstream opposition
leaders subsequently softened their tone in part to cultivate
support from northern Mali. Mariko and CRAJ are the first
group to publicly demand a military response to Tuareg
unrest. It does not appear that Mariko or CRAJ have much of
a following among youth in Bamako. However, Mariko's sudden
appearance -- at a time when the Algiers Accords appear to be
breaking down and Tuareg rebel attacks are on the rise -- and
the combative nature of his message seems to have sparked a
quick and heavy-handed response by Malian authorities. End
Summary.

--------------
CRAJ: Give War a Chance
--------------

2.(U) Plain clothes police officers arrested CRAJ leader
Mahamane Mariko at his home on January 14. Police released
Mariko 28 hours later, on January 15, without pressing
charges. Two days prior to his arrest, Mariko held a lively
press conference in Bamako which called for President Toure
to break with the Algiers Accords, Algeria, and Libya and use
force to combat Tuareg rebels. "The members of the Circle
for Youth Reflection and Action," Mariko told the local
media, "will always say no to the accords of capitulation of
Algiers and to Libyan hegemony over Mali. We will do

everything within our means to preserve the unity and
integrity of our country." Although Mariko had no kind words
for Algeria, his criticism focused primarily on Qadhafi and
Malian government authorities whom he accused of being
addicted to Libyan petro-dollars. He also faulted the Malian
government for failing to inform Malian citizens of problems
in the north or explain the government's policy toward Tuareg
unrest.

3.(U) Perhaps sensing the eventual response of Malian
officials, Mariko said "neither interrogations nor aggression
against our members will distract us, for we believe that
Mali belongs to all of us. We are not ready to abandon our
country because it is burning today." Mariko then called on
listeners to join CRAJ and mobilize for a united and unified
Mali by rejecting the Algiers Accords. He also demanded the
prosecution of those guilty of "betraying" the Malian
military and the resignation of unnamed public officials.

4.(U) The CRAJ press conference followed a several week long
leaflet campaign which affixed terse slogans like "Down with
Qadhafi," "No to Armed Bandits," and "Liberate the Hostages"
to light poles, buildings, and monuments across Bamako.
Asked to comment on the reasoning behind this public
relations strategy, Mariko said the leaflets were "a means
for us to inform the public." He added that CRAJ had posted
the leaflets in "broad daylight under the eyes of security
forces." Mariko also said CRAJ had written President Toure
to request a meeting, "not to sing his praises but to tell
him the truth, and our approach to the crisis and its
management." Mariko closed the press conference by urging
his listeners to open their eyes to reality and said CRAJ had
more events planned for the days to come. He was arrested
two days later.

--------------
Background on the CRAJ
--------------

5.(U) Prior to its leaflet campaign, CRAJ was a largely
unknown group apparently created to advocate for greater
educational and employment opportunities for Malian youth.
In 2005 Mariko made statements in support of the opposition
party Rally for Mali (RPM) led by former National Assembly
President and failed presidential candidate Ibrahim Boubacar

BAMAKO 00000044 002 OF 002


Keita. During a two-day CRAJ rally in April 2008, Mariko
pressed the government to put an end to the continuous
strikes - by both faculty and students - at the University of
Bamako. CRAJ's only other public appearance occurred in 2007
when Mariko called for the resignation of Mali's embattled
Minister of Mines, Ahmed Sow. Sow resigned a few months
later due to allegations of corruption stemming from his
previous job overseeing the European Union's Center for
Business Development (Ref. A).

--------------
Comment: Public Patience for Peace
--------------

6.(C) CRAJ appears to be a marginal group with relatively
limited public support. Their mass leaflet campaign,
however, indicated that Mariko and CRAJ have at least some
financial backing. Mariko's public call for the use of force
was distinctly unusual for Mali and did not go unnoticed by
Mali's Tuareg community. While most Malians disagree with
Mariko's provocative methods, many have been privately
expressing similar sentiments for some time: that force is
the only way to respond to Tuareg rebels. The leaflets CRAJ
posted around Bamako elicited no response from the Malian
government. Mariko's press conference, however, apparently
went too far and the security forces' quick response - to
arrest Mariko and detain him for more than 24 hours - may
have revealed the extent to which the Malian government feels
vulnerable on this issue. Despite Mariko's peripheral
status, his sudden and very public appearance seemingly
increased pressure on President Toure to appear responsive to
rising frustration, both within the Malian public and the
ranks of the military, over Mali's apparent inability to
adequately respond to Tuareg rebel attacks. During a January
20 speech to commemorate Malian armed forces day, Toure told
the Malian military that while Mali remained committed to the
Algiers Accords and a peaceful settlement, he would use all
"operational means" to ensure security in the north (septel).
This speech, promising peace on one hand and a firm response
on the other, may provide an indication of how Toure plans on
balancing his support for peace with an increased public
demand for action.
MILOVANOVIC