COUP D’ETAT IN MALI AND RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM

Abstract

This work deals with a connection between recent coup d’etat in Mali and religious extremism. Within the introduction author states that there are several unknowns about the Mali’s coup referring to its executors, cause and technique. Besides that, author argues that terms fundamentalism and extremism are not the same and we are supposed to make a difference between them. Due to those facts, first part of this paper deals with a theoretical definitions of what coup d’etat, fundamentalism and extremism are. In order to define coup d’etat author used deduction method. He started with political violence, over political coup and came to the coup d’etat as one of the forms of political coup. With accepting a broad definition of coup d’etat by Dragan Simeunović, author moves on to a next problem, making a difference between religious fundamentalism and extremism. Author shows the etymology of the words fundamentalism and extremism and from it he point out that fundamentalism refers to a base of one religion, and author used Christian fundamentalism to show what does it means. On the other hand, extremism is something which is not acceptable in society. Author argues that the relation between religious fundamentalism and extremism is like this: as soon as religious fundamentalism starts to use force in the name of its beliefs it became religious extremism. Second part of this article point out Mali’s brief history, and what is more important, ethnical structure. Ethnical structure of Mali shows that this country is, as well as other African countries, is heterogeneous and due to that un – stabile. One of the tribes in Mali is Tuareg tribe. They are indigenous people in northern Mali but also in Niger, Burkina Faso, Algeria and Libya. According to several sources author shows that there are between 1,5 million to 3 millions of Tuaregs. They belong to Islam’s Maliki religious teaching. After the decolonization of Mali, which was a French colony, they had several rebellions, in 1962, 1990, 2007 and last in 2012 which is not over yet. Third part of the paper point out on a relation between Mali’s coupd d’etat in March 2012 and Tuareg’s religious extremism. When the Tuareg rebellion escalated in January Mali’s army did not make a successful counter strike which would prevent the rebellions to expand. After the small conflicts they have tried with some negations but with no success. Groups of young army offices leaded by Lieutenant Conore make a coup d’etat in the night between 21st and 22nd March 2012. They were not satisfied with army answer towards Tuaregs rebellion. They seized power but did not make progress. On contrary, they helped to Tuaregs to achieve their goal and create their own state Azawad, because the state was in chaos after the coup. Within conclusion author states that Mali’s coup d’etat was connected to religious extremism and predicts the future of Mali. General conclusion is twofold, first is that the compromise must be made between Mali’s government and Tuaregs and that international community should involve in it and second is that the making of Islamic state Azawad in northern Mali should have political consequences which will interfere in interior affairs of several states which are inhabited by Tuaregs.