PEACEFUL MARCH TOO LATE!

 A couple of nights ago our friend the journalist Levy had dinner with us in the Djenne Djenno garden under the Malian stars. The conversation turned as always now towards the subject of Kidal. The embryo of a possible solution was engendered, which now seems too late alas…

Our idea was this: ANKATA KIDAL! (Let’s go to Kidal!)

There will be a peaceful march on Kidal. The people of Mali will quite simply begin the long journey northward and go! Like the tiny trickles that eventually make up the great river, one by one the vehicles will join the convoy with white flags and Malian flags draped over every car and lorry. No one with weapons will be allowed to join the convoy. We will march on Kidal and in every village we pass more people will join and they too will drape the white and Malian flag across their vehicles.  Young and old the Malian people will lay down what  they are doing and turn northwards with us. The road blocks will let us through- who will stop us? This is what everyone wants.  By the time we reach Kidal we will be a thousand strong.  What will the MNLA do? Kill us? Of course not. They will be forced to lay down their arms by peaceful means!

We will march on Kidal, Wallai! This march on Kidal will open up the road for the Malian administration and finally the Malian army will follow and the entire Malian nation will be regained peacefully by the Malian people themselves this time!

I was totally ready to drop everything and start to move on this beautiful idea this morning, but the law abiding Keita suggested that we needed to inform the authorities. ‘Don’t be silly!’ I objected. ‘ You don’t ask for permission to start revolutions!’

However, we seem to be too late. Today the Malian Ministry of Defence confirmed that they have deployed troops which are on their way to Kidal. Inhabitants of Anefis, a locality 150 k north of Gao and 200k south of Kidal have confirmed seeing large number of Malian troops, heavily armed. This comes a couple of days after reports of the black population of Kidal suffering arrests and being ‘chased out’ of Kidal. A lorry of 25 young black Kidal inhabitants arrived in Gao this afternoon. These young men had been forced onto the lorry at gunpoint without even being allowed to go and gather their belongings.
Large numbers of people were marching in Gao last Friday and Sunday to manifest their dissatisfaction about the Kidal situation. Today there was a suicide bomber in Kidal who fortunately managed to blow himself up only.
What will the next few days bring?
Ala K'an Deme, Ala k' an Jamana kissi.
(God help us, God protect our country.)