The French Military Intervention In Mali In 2013

The French military intervention in Mali is one of the controversial military interventions of France. According to the literature of the military intervention, the conflict in Mali was a structural war. Because it has external factors that exacerbated the conflict. If we look at the geographic position of Mali, Niger is one of its neighboring countries where one French firm AREVA is exploiting uranium. The Malian crisis could spread to Niger and then compromise the French interest in that country. The need of energy leads France to intervene in Mali. Indeed, France has domestic problems in the matter of energy. 70% of EDF energy production is nuclear. And 60% of that uranium is supplying by AREVA’s production in Niger. This matter pushed Francois Hollande to change his policy. Indeed, Hollande came to power with a non-intervention slogan. That was the core of his policy. But when it comes to the threat of the national interest, he had no option more than intervening. It’s very strange to see the French military intervention in Mali to protect AREVA in Niger. France adopted the non-contagion strategy to intervene in Mali. Indeed one thing common with African state is vulnerability. African states are vulnerable when it comes to the matter of borders. African borders have been established by western powers after the colonization without the concern of the local African peoples. This is why you can find an ethnical group divided in 3 or 4 states. The case of the Tuareg self-determination shows us in the outstanding way this matter. Because the Tuareg self-determination in Mali can bring a new redefinition of West African borders and that could affect France interest in Niger because Tuaregs are divided among(Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Libya, and Algeria). The new dynamic of terrorism was also a threat for the French firm AREVA in Niger. Indeed, before the French military intervention in Mali, AREVA has been a victim of a lot of terrorist attacks headquartering in the Malian Sahara. And also a lot of AREVA’s workers have been kidnapped by those terrorists groups. For sure, after Mali, Niger was their new target. And this could not let France indifferent. Basing on the rational choice, cost and benefits calculation, Francois Hollande decided to compromise his policy by intervening military in Mali.