Deutsche Welle, 2 February 2013
French President Francois Hollande, speaking before a
friendly crowd in the Malian capital, has said military operations in the
country will be short. But he added France will stand by Mali during its
rebuilding process.
A cheering crowd met Hollande Saturday in Bamako. The French
president was there to visit French troops fighting Islamist rebels in Mali's
north, as well as to meet with the country's interim president, Dioncounda
Traore (above right).
"You're celebrating a new kind of independence, not
from colonialism but from terrorism," Hollande said to thousands of
spectators at the capital's Independence Square.
"We'll stay as long as we need to, but there's no
question of us getting entrenched here, this is a short operation. We'll stay
by your side as you address rebuilding in your nation."
The French president's one-day tour of Mali came as troops
worked to secure Kidal, the last bastion of the al Qaeda-linked rebel fighters
who took control of Mali's desert north following a coup last year.
Visiting Timbuktu
Thousands came out to welcome Hollande earlier in the day
during his visit to Timbuktu, which was retaken by French and Malian forces six
days ago.
"It's not over yet, it's going to take several weeks,
but our goal is to pass the baton," he said. "Our African friends
will be able to do the job we've been doing until now."
Traore thanked Hollande for the French troops'
"efficiency," which he said had allowed the north to be freed from
"barbarity and obscurantism."
Hollande said France would withdraw its troops from Mali
once the country had restored sovereignty over all its national territory and a
UN-backed African military force had taken over.
That force is expected to number more than 8,000, but its
deployment has suffered repeated setbacks, including shortages of kit and
airlift capacity and questions about who will fund its estimated $1 billion
(732,000 euros) cost.
The US and the European Union have backed France's military
campaign in Mali, saying the Islamist militants there could use the north of
the country as a launch pad for international attacks.
Complicated campaign
Rights groups have reported summary executions by both the
Malian army and the Islamists during the fighting. Human Rights Watch said
Friday that Malian troops had shot at least 13 suspected Islamist supporters in
Sevare and dumped them into wells, but the Malian army denied any crimes by its
forces.
Some 377,000 people have fled their homes during the crisis,
including 150,000 who have sought refuge across Mali's borders, according to
the United Nations.
France's military campaign has been met with little resistance,
with many Islamists believed to have retreated into the desert hills around
Kidal.
Hollande called on
all troops in Mali to show "exemplary" conduct and respect human
rights, an appeal reiterated by Traore.
"Don't let yourself give in to excess, to vengeance, in
the euphoria of your new-won freedom. I know I can count on you not to commit
any abuses, not to settle scores," Traore told the crowd in Bamako.
dr/rc (dpa, AFP,
Reuters)
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