French Opposition Restless as Mali Mission Creep Fears Mount
The backing President Francois Hollande got at home for his military intervention in Mali was under increasing strain Monday as the opposition lamented that France was isolated and acting without clear objectives.
"The isolation of France is a major problem, it is the central question," said Jean-Francois Cope, the leader of the right-wing UMP party.
With the scale of France's operation in its former colony seemingly expanding by the day, Cope demanded to know: "What are the objectives? Is it the fight against international terrorism? Against terrorism in this region? Is it to achieve the reunification of Mali?"
Hollande "must state what the criteria are for his considering that the objectives have been reached," Cope added in an interview with BFMTV.
France swept to the aid of the crippled Malian army on January 11, a day after hardline Islamists who had occupied the country's vast north since last April made a push south towards the capital Bamako.
Hollande said he had to make a snap decision to send in troops to prevent the entire country falling into the hands of Islamist extremists.
French officials, most notably Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, initially portrayed the campaign as limited to halting the rebel advance, primarily involving the use of airpower and likely to be limited to a matter of weeks.
It has since emerged France could deploy up to 4,000 ground troops in its former colony and Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Sunday redefined the objectives of the campaign in a manner that will have exacerbated opposition fears over "mission creep."
Le Drian said the French forces would help the Malian army achieve "the total reconquest of Mali," and to eliminate Islamist resistance throughout the north of the country, an area bigger than France.
France had previously insisted this task would be the work of a planned African intervention force with French troops in a back-up role.
An African force that could be as big as 6,000 troops is due to arrive in Mali and the United States and European nations have provided transport planes and other forms of logistical help to France.
But only a handful of African troops have so far arrived and France is the only Western country providing combat troops.
"France's position needs to be clarified," said former foreign minister Alain Juppe. "I get the impression we have now embarked on a general reconquest of Malian territory which France does not have the means to do on its own."
Herve Morin, who was defense minister under Hollande's predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, said the campaign had been badly prepared.
Hollande should have undertaken a tour of Europe and Africa to drum up support for the intervention before sending in the troops, he said.
"We would have felt less alone," he told LCI news channel.
Despite the opposition's reservations, opinion polls show that most French back their country's intervention in Mali. The latest survey, published Saturday, found 65 percent were in favor and 34 percent against.
Stung by the criticism that France was acting alone, the defense ministry on Monday published a list of eight countries who have provided or promised support.
Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain and the United Arab Emirates are all providing transport planes or helicopters required to help move the African and French troops around Mali's vast expanses.
And French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Sunday that Russia had offered to help transport French troops and supplies to Mali.
Italy was said to be considering providing transport support while the United States has puts its intelligence gathering facilities at France's disposal.
Source: Agence France Presse
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