Much More on Mali

I just finished reading a detailed article on a website called Africa Is A Country about the situation in Mali. There are multiple players, both within and without the country, and the article lays them out.

Al Qaeda pops up again, apparently things are too hot for them now in Afghanistan or Yemen. I have the mental image of Whack-A-Mole; we whack 'em in one country and they pop up in another.

BTW, notice the serious Marine-style haircuts on those French troopers in the photo. I can't read their unit patches to see if they're Legion. They don't seem to be wearing para jump boots.