Operaţiunea “Serval” – Franţa îşi continuă intervenţia militară în Mali
January 13, 2013
Franţa îşi continuă Operaţiunea “Serval” în vestul Africii, în statul Mali, unde încearcă sa blocheze avansul forţelor islamiste, controlate de Al Qaida. Astăzi dimineaţă au avut loc noi atacuri aeriene din partea francezilor împotriva islamiştilor.
“Azi-noapte au avut loc atacuri, au loc acum şi vor continua astăzi si mâine”, a declarat, duminică, ministrul apărării din Franta, Jean-Yves Le Drian intr-un interviu televizat. Operaţiunea franceză în Mali a fost denumită “Serval”, de la numele unei mici feline din deşert, a declarat amiralul Edouard Guillaud, şeful Statului Major al armatei.
Menţionăm că trupele armate franceze au intervenit (vineri, 11 ianuarie 2013) în forţă în Mali pentru a ajuta guvernul acestei ţări în lupta cu islamiştii extremişti. Occidentul se teme că, în mâinile islamiştilor, ţara vest-africană ar putea deveni un focar terorist precum era fostul Afganistan, iar Franţa, care are cele mai strânse legături cu Mali este prima interesată să prevină o astfel de situaţie. În plus, Franţa are o mare bază militară în Djibouti, ce include trupe de uscat, marină şi forţe aeriene.
Preşedintele Hollande a explicat că implicarea Frantei în vestul Africii vine ca urmare a solicitarii de ajutor a guvernului de la Bamako şi a preşedintelui din Mali, împotriva “agresiunii teroriste care ameninta toata Africa de Vest”.
De asemenea, François Hollande a cerut sporirea măsurilor de securitatea în jurul clădirilor publice şi a obiectivelor turistice, pe fondul temerilor privind riscul unor posibile atacuri teroriste care ar putea fi comise în Hexagon ca urmare a intervenţiei armate în statul vest-african Mali. Premierul Jean-Marc Ayrault a anunţat că planul de apărare antiteroristă, numit de Franţa „Vigipirate” va fi suplimentat „imediat” pentru transporturile publice, adunările de persoane şi clădirile ce primesc publicul larg.
Primul Ministru britanic David Cameron şi-a exprimat pe site-ul guvernului UK îngrijorarea privind creşterea activităţii rebelilor islamişti în Nordul Africii şi a apreciat ca salutară intervenţia armatei franceze. De asemenea, Cameron a transmis condoleante familiilor franceze afectate. Acelaşi tip de reacţie a venit şi din partea şefei diplomaţiei Uniunii Europene, Catherine Ashton.
De reţinut că tot săptămâna trecută o altă interventie franceza in Africa, în incercarea de a elibera un ostatic francez din Somalia, s-a soldat cu un esec. “Aceasta operatiune n-a avut succes, in ciuda sacrificiului a doi soldati si a uciderii ostaticului. Sunt alaturi de familiile lor. Dar aceasta operatiune confirma determinarea Frantei de a nu ceda la santajul teroristilor”, a mai spus Hollande. Ministrul francez al Apărării a asigurat că intervenţia în Mali şi operaţiunea comandoului DSGE (serviciile de informaţii externe) din Somalia sunt “total separate”.
Photo: from Defence Ministry of France official site
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