{
  "id": "R42664",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "R42664",
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  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
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      "id": 419249,
      "date": "2013-03-28",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-06T23:32:50.985724",
      "title": "Crisis in Mali",
      "summary": "For the past 18 months, Mali has been mired in overlapping security, political, and humanitarian crises. A separatist rebellion launched in 2011 aggravated intra-military and political tensions in the country. In March 2012, junior military officers\u2014led by a former participant in U.S. training programs\u2014carried out a coup that overthrew a democratically elected government. Islamist extremist groups, including Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, took advantage of the ensuing chaos to expand their presence in Mali\u2019s vast, Saharan north. In the capital, Bamako, located in the south, the interim government formed in the wake of the coup has faced internal divisions, military interference, limited popular legitimacy, and economic constraints. Mali\u2019s crises have been driven by both internal and external factors, including a surge in regional arms and combatant flows from Libya. In turn, insecurity in Mali has displaced nearly half a million people and exacerbated poor regional humanitarian conditions. \nOn January 11, 2013, France launched military operations in Mali, following a request from the Malian government for help in repelling a sudden insurgent advance toward the south. This marked a sudden and major shift in international responses, as regional and Western policymakers had previously emphasized that any solution in Mali had to be African-led. French forces have made rapid gains in the north, but whether these can be sustained remains to be seen. African militaries also have begun deploying to Mali under the U.N.-authorized African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA). Some\u2014notably those from Chad\u2014may be prepared for desert counterinsurgency, but nearly all suffer from severe capacity shortfalls. France has expressed a desire to begin withdrawing troops in April, while the U.N. Security Council is currently considering options for transitioning AFISMA into a fully U.N.-conducted operation. Whether a U.N. operation can be successful, and in what conditions, is under discussion.\nThe United States has provided logistical and intelligence support to ongoing French operations in Mali, pledged $96 million in support for AFISMA, and provided new security assistance to neighboring states. U.S. policymakers have also reportedly debated the potential for unilateral action against terrorist actors in the region. As a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, the United States is playing a key role in discussion of AFISMA\u2019s future status and funding. The Obama Administration also continues to call for Mali to organize national elections, and for reconciliation efforts to address political, ethnic, and regional cleavages. \nCongress authorizes and appropriates funding for foreign aid and defense programs in Mali and the Sahel region, and may further shape U.S. policy through legislation and oversight activities. Direct U.S. assistance to the Malian security forces\u2014along with several other types of foreign aid\u2014has been suspended in line with congressionally mandated restrictions triggered by the coup. The aid restrictions do not affect humanitarian assistance, of which the United States is the leading bilateral donor in the region, or election support. Looking forward, Congress may consider issues related to U.S. support for international military operations in Mali; whether unilateral U.S. action is required or wise; and future U.S. aid to Mali and the region. Congress may also seek to assess the successes and failures of previous U.S. security engagements in Mali and the region, and consider the possible implications of the situation in Mali for U.S. counterterrorism and good governance efforts in Africa and beyond. See also CRS Report RS21532, Algeria: Current Issues, by Alexis Arieff; and CRS Report RL33142, Libya: Transition and U.S. Policy, by Christopher M. Blanchard.",
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    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc490950/",
      "id": "R42664_2013Jan14",
      "date": "2013-01-14",
      "retrieved": "2015-01-27T19:40:46",
      "title": "Crisis in Mali",
      "summary": "This report provides an overview of recent developments in Bali, and discusses the current issues facing Bali, and U.S. policy and foreign assistance to Bali.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
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      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Foreign policy",
          "name": "Foreign policy"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Foreign relations -- Indonesia -- U.S.",
          "name": "Foreign relations -- Indonesia -- U.S."
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Foreign aid",
          "name": "Foreign aid"
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    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc822591/",
      "id": "R42664_2012Aug16",
      "date": "2012-08-16",
      "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26",
      "title": "Crisis In Mali",
      "summary": "This report discusses the West African country of Mali that faces multiple overlapping crises. The country\u2019s political leadership has been uncertain and disputed since a military coup on March 22, 2012, overthrew a democratically elected government in the capital, Bamako.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
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      "topics": [
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          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Foreign policy",
          "name": "Foreign policy"
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        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Mali",
          "name": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Mali"
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        {
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          "id": "International affairs",
          "name": "International affairs"
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        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Politics and government -- Mali",
          "name": "Politics and government -- Mali"
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  "topics": [
    "African Affairs",
    "Foreign Affairs",
    "Intelligence and National Security"
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}