Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Opening Statement: Senate African Affairs Subcommittee hearing on Restoring Democracy in Mali
As Prepared for Delivery on December 5, 2012
Good morning. I am pleased to convene this hearing of the Africa Subcommittee on Mali. As we speak, there are three simultaneous crises occurring in Mali – security, political, and humanitarian – which threaten U.S. interests in Africa and require the attention of the U.S. government and the world. That is why we have convened today’s hearing: to assess developments in Mali and discuss path forward to restore democracy, to reclaim the north, to stabilize the security situation, and to discuss ongoing humanitarian needs. I would like to welcome my friend and partner on the Subcommittee, Senator Isakson, and I thank our distinguished witnesses for sharing their insight and expertise. I look forward to hearing from both of our panels.
Earlier this year, a military coup deposed the democratically elected government of Mali, and an ethnic rebellion staked its claim on the northern two-thirds of this vast country. This left a security and political vacuum that was exploited by Islamic extremists. As of today, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb – more commonly known as AQIM – and two affiliated groups control the majority of northern Mali – an area the size of Texas – making it the largest territory controlled by Islamic extremists in the world.
I am concerned that the current U.S. approach toward Mali may not be comprehensive and forward-leaning enough to address all three of these difficult, complex, and interconnected crises – security, political and humanitarian – at the same time. So today, we will examine U.S. policy in all three areas with the goal of providing recommendations for a path forward. We will assess evolving plans for a regionally led, multilateral military intervention in northern Mali, and consider the complementary goals of encouraging elections and restoring security by reclaiming the north.
With growing ties between extremist and terrorist groups in Mali, Nigeria, Libya, Somalia, and beyond, there is growing concern that AQIM will leverage its new safe haven in Mali to carry out training and advance plans for regional or transnational terrorist attacks, making Mali – in the words of Secretary Clinton – a “powder keg” of instability in the region and beyond.
The U.N. Security Council will likely vote in the coming days or weeks on a resolution authorizing a military intervention by ECOWAS and the African Union. Similar African-led interventions in Cote d’Ivoire and Somalia have provided a model for effective multilateral and regionally led solutions that allow the United States, France, and others to provide operational support without putting boots on the ground.
This intervention will take time, and stability cannot be restored to Mali through military action alone. The situation in Mali is as much a crisis of governance as it is of security. The long-running grievances of the Tuaregs in the north and a political vacuum in the south must be addressed through diplomacy, rebuilding of democratic institutions, and the restoration of a democratically elected government. In addition, any agreement that aims to “peel off” groups currently aligned with AQIM will require a credible government to do so in Bamako. Elections are the key to not only restoring now-frozen U.S. bilateral assistance, but also for reclaiming government control of the north and restoring Mali’s two decade history of democracy.
Mali’s political and security challenges cannot be addressed as separate issues. As the UN Secretary General’s recent report on Mali suggested, the international community must work to address these multiple crises simultaneously, and consider the potential implications of moving forward with elections that exclude participation of northerners. Such an election could be viewed as a symbolic victory for AQIM and may further entrench those who aim to establish a permanent Islamic state in the north.
This conflict has displaced more than 400,000 people and exacerbated an ongoing food crisis in the Sahel, leaving more than four and half million people in need of emergency food aid. NGOs have also reported rampant human rights abuses in northern Mali – further adding to the instability and challenges – which include amputations, torture, executions, recruitment of child soldiers, as well as violations of women’s rights, children’s rights, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms such as speech and religion.
To provide insight on our path forward and to discuss these three strands, we have assembled two distinguished panels. First, we will hear from Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Johnnie Carson; USAID Assistant Administrator for Africa, Mr. Earl Gast; and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Africa, Ms. Amanda Dory. We are grateful for their presence.
On our second panel, we will hear from Senior Associate and Regional Director for Central and West Africa at the National Democratic Institute, Dr. Chris Fomunyoh; Senior Researcher in the Africa Division at Human Rights Watch, Ms. Corrine Dufka; independent policy researcher, Mr. Nii Akuetteh; and Vice President of the Lobbying Network for Peace, Security, and Development for Northern Mali, Mr. Mohamed Ould Mahmoud, who will be testifying via webcast in order to provide a first-hand perspective from Bamako.
I look forward to hearing the testimony of all of our witnesses, and would like to turn to Senator Isakson for opening remarks.
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