Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the World Federation of Trade Unions condemning the war on the people of Mali.

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

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