The Belgian government has decided to participate in the military intervention of France in Mali, contributing two C-130 transport planes, two helicopters and 75 soldiers. The Western military force is avowedly aimed at stopping the advance of Islamist rebel groups in the North of the country, at the demand of Mali's government and with the support, provided only after the start of the intervention, of the UN Security Council.

With the military intervention of France, French President François Hollande plays 'cavalier seul'. By his act of war, he undermines a peace initiative the UN elaborated with several African countries. The fact that Mali has recently become a hornets' nest is largely due to the consequences of the NATO war in Lybia and of decades of Western political meddling in the country's affairs. In Mali's complex situation, the only chance for peace, stability and development to succeed is by extremely cautious initiatives that have a large base of support and are principally African.

France's intervention is of course not devoid of self-interest. As the former colonial power, France continues to have huge economic interests in the region. Mali possesses gold mines and petroleum, while also uranium is extracted in the region, which is used for part of the French nuclear industry.

Just like with the deadly NATO bombing on Lybia two years ago, Belgium has been very quick to offer its participation to the French military intervention. And this without any democratic debate about its objectives, consequences or cost. In a period of painful austerity measures and cuts in the social budgets, any increase in the Defense budget is simply cynical.

The Belgian government is not clear about the duration of its military intervention in Mali. Defense Minister Pieter De Crem only informed the Belgian taxpayers that it could be of a « very short, short, or medium » duration. As a first evaluation will be made only at the end of February, the mission will take at least six weeks. That is, as a starter, because this period may be prolonged several times yet, as was the case with the Belgian military mission in Afghanistan. In the meantime, for how many deads, wounded and refugees in Mali the Belgian government of Di Rupo (PS) will be responsible ?

The Workers' Party of Belgium (PTB) is opposed to any imperialist intervention in Mali, as elsewhere.

#Mali #AntiwarMovement #Belgium #WorkersPartyOfBelgium #antiimperialism #France #FrancoisHollande #Africa

The World Federation of Trade Unions strongly denounces the military intervention of the French “socialist” government of Francois Hollande in Mali with the support of other imperialist forces, using as pretext the intensification of the conflicts between the Malian army and the militant organizations that are appearing to be fighting for the independence of Northern Mali in Azawad.

The military intervention was presented as a response to the request of the Malian President, Dioncounda Traore; the President who was appointed in his position after the military coup of last March.

This French-led military operation in its former colony has been joint by Britain, Germany and the European Union, as well as USA, Canada and ECOWAS, all of whom have already been sending troops and airforce to Mali and have been providing their support according to the December resolution of the United Nations Security Council.

After the genocide in Rwanda and the demolition of Libya, France continues to use the military bases it maintains in Africa in order to strengthen its role in the inter-imperialist competition and to serve the interests of its monopoly groups who are plundering the wealth-producing resources (gold, uranium etc.).

This orchestrated conflict between all the belligerents is another bloody show in the wounded African Continent, with the African people paying a heavy toll, aiming for the protection of the French interests in the uranium mines found in Tuareg areas of the West-African Region, the inter-imperialist competition for the control of the wealth-producing resources of Mali and the placement of puppet-governments in the African countries serving the leading imperialist forces.

The World Federation of Trade Unions in solidarity with the working people and the poor people of Mali and the West-African countries is strongly denouncing the intensifying aggressiveness of the imperialist forces in the region that are further deteriorating the already difficult living conditions of the people in the region and are aiming for the maintaining and enhancing of the plundering of the wealth-producing resources which belong and should be used for the people’s needs.

Finally we call upon the trade union federations, first and foremost, of the belligerent countries to denounce and act against the participation of their governments to this warfare. The position of each trade union on the issue of imperialist wars is crucial and constitutes a criterion of what type of trade union organization it is. The workers of the imperialist countries must express their international solidarity with their brothers in other countries.

THE SECRETARIAT

#Mali #AntiwarMovement #WorldFederationOfTradeUnions #antiimperialism #France #FrancoisHollande #Africa