It is a tradition that every new French president visits the French speaking African countries. Francois Hollande visited the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal. He praised the common use of French language. He confirmed that the Al-Qaida network held Sahel; the Northern part of Mali was held. There are also two hostages held whose families the President has met. Four hostages from Niger also got held by the Al Qaida.
During his trip, Mr. Hollande tried to rally other leaders to the cause. He visited Algiers to narrow the rift between them. He also said that France had drafted and adopted a UN Security Council resolution, which authorized the dispatch of an African force to the rescue of Mali.
The purpose of the troop was to guard Mali and other countries in the Sahel. French was willing to help but not ready to send in ground troops. France is threatened by the possibility of the Sahel being conquered by the Al-Qaida. A Mali based Islamist group has threatened Mr. Hollande due to the danger the hostages face.
French police dismantled an Islamist cell in search of two terrorist suspects. Two were wanted in relation to the violation of a grocer in a Paris suburb, which swept out France’s sizeable Jewish population. Out of the twelve suspects caught seven got arrested in connection to terrorism. Some of the suspects were French converts to Islam. Seven people and three children got killed by a French Islamist who claimed to have been trained by the Al-Qaida. Mr. Valls sought permission to go after French nationals leaving outside Mali, in case they got suspected to have terrorism connection.
OPINION
The Sahel got colonized by the French they, therefore, ought to support them in times of wars. Al-Qaida wars may be a form of retaliation against France. The Africans suffer on behalf of their conquerors. It is the duty of the French to take care of the Sahel. Actions ought to have been taken before situations got worse. French needs to be highly alert because these hostages could be the beginning of attacks on France (Kurt Campbell, 2007 p 64).
The African countries should also look for a way of protecting themselves rather than waiting for the colony to act. African leaders should be independent and not let the colonial government influence their decisions. For instance, the Sahel leaders should have had mechanisms in place to start correcting the situation. This could have been of significant help as the colony would not have to start from scratch.
It can be extremely expensive and difficult for the French government to dispatch troops from their country. There are alternative African troops that can be of help. Economic Unions such as ECOWAS can also be of significant help in times of wars. It gives the affected country a sense of support and belonging. It gets easier to fight a battle where one has support from others rather than on your own (Kurt Campbell, 2007 p 68).
The Sahel leaders should at least seek training and professional advice from the colonizers; this makes it possible to make the most appropriate decisions. It is hectic for the colonizers to defend its country and at the same time take an active role in protecting the colony. The French speaking African countries should not depend on France for total support (Kurt Campbell, 2007 p 67). These colonies can also seek advice from other nations that have undergone similar tragedies. If no action is taken on time the soon or later the Sahel will be taken over by the Islamist terrorist.
References
Kurt Campbell, Michael O'Hanlon. Hard Power: The New Politics on National Security. Basic Books: New York, 2007.
