The United States has suspended military aid to Mali after a coup last week deposed President Amadou Touré. President Toure, maintained close ties with the United States, in large part due to his hawkish position on regional Islamic militant groups, most notably al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. However, an American embassy official indicated the U.S. is planning on resuming aid and is hoping for a return to democratic governance.
“The de facto situation on the ground means delivering any kind of aid is very difficult. Anything in the pipeline has been suspended. Our fervent hope is that there is a return to a democratic government, [and] that allows us to resume aid.”
President Toure may have been an unintended casualty of NATO’s military action in Libya, which facilitated the return of Tuareg militia fighters with advanced weaponry taken from the battle fields of Libya. Toure, was said to have ignored complaints from an overstretched Malian military.
Via The Guardian
