Military action should never be undertaken lightly, but West African nations must move quickly on a United Nations Security Council resolution that urges them to speed up preparations for international intervention aimed at securing northern Mali.
Importantly, the Security Council added that the action should be a prelude to a “sustainable political solution, mindful of the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Mali”. This is likely to be harder to achieve than any successful military action in Northern Mali.
The rebel groups who have seized control of the north of Mali have shown little sign that they will be easy partners to negotiate a peace deal with. They are demanding independence, but many African leaders are correctly committed to the territorial integrity of borders, lest disputes on deeply flawed colonial boundaries create dangerous national tensions. The rebels have also displayed dangerous fundamentalist tendencies and a disregard for international opinion, by destroying world heritage sites that they have seized control.
However, there is reason to be hopeful that military action can succeed, as long as it is led by credible regional powers, with appropriate logistical, political and financial support of the international community. West African regional forces have intervened in neighbouring countries, with various degrees of success, before.
Most importantly, successful military action will make it clear to the rebels that they must negotiate in good faith, or face the consequences. The failed military government in capital Bamako should also take note.
