Tag Archives: Mali

Still clocking in wherever needed

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The Browning Hi-Power was a first (and has remained a constant) love. I mean all the good parts of John Moses Browning’s 1911– single action/light trigger, all-steel construction, the simplicity of maintenance, long sight radius contributing to accuracy– while ditching the goofy barrel bushing, thinning the profile, and nearly doubling the capacity from 7+1 to 13+1.

Like my circa-1943 FN Browning Pistole 640 Hi-Power circa-1943 FN Browning Pistole 640 Hi-Power. It like lots of Winchester White Box 124 grain FMJ.

At one time or another, more than 50 countries had adopted the BHP during WWII and the Cold War. However, as lighter (polymer) and more modern (accessory rails, night sights, modular ergonomics) combat handguns have come to market since the 1980s, the old warhorse has been increasingly put to pasture.

Except in Commonwealth countries like India, Australia, and Canada, where they are still seeing regular use, even if they are a bit long in the tooth.

Canadian Browning Inglis Task Force Mali conducted small arms training near Gao, Mali Feb 2019

More in my column at Guns.com.

If offered a chance to see beautiful Mali, think twice and bring kevlar

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Mission des Nations Unies au Mali (MINUSMA) suffered the loss of 10 Chadian peacekeepers and another 25 wounded in an attack at a United Nations base near Aguelhoc, a village in northern Mali over the weekend. This, coupled at attack that killed two Sri Lankin peacekeepers and injured six when their convoy hit an IED near Douentza in the Mopti region, brings to a total of 189 blue helmets that have lost their lives to action in Mali since the UN mission began in 2013, leaving it one of the most dangerous in the organization’s history.

The attack at Aguelhoc was, by all accounts, a classic defensive operation that involved the Chadians standing their ground for hours against determined insurgents attempting to snuff them out. According to MINUSMA Force Commander Lt. Gen. Dennis Gyllensporre, Swedish Army, the defenders fought “for hours” until the attackers broke off the engagement and retired.

Gyllensporre, in the beret, inspecting the damage (Photos: UN)

That’s an RPG hit for sure

Note the UN-marked technical gun truck with an AAA gun in the bed. Keep in mind the French-trained Chadians were involved in the Mad Max-style Toyota Wars in the 1980s against Libya

The Chadians of the Forces Armées Tchadiennes have lost at least 57 men alone in the country. This video, from 2017, highlights a patrol by a Chadian unit in Mali.

“Many of my friends have died here in Mali. We lived together, ate together. Unfortunately, they lost their lives here,” says Chief Sergeant Mahamat Tahir Moussa Abdoulaye.

The UN has posted vacancies for the mission

Can somebody Fed-Ex these guys a case of SKSs or something?

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From the West African country of Mali comes a story of an isolated village where the locals have banded together to fight off terrorists with whatever they have.

Mali has been in the midst of a low-key war since 2012 that started off with Tuareg rebels fighting the government and transitioned to an international effort led by a 4,000-strong French military force (the country was a French colony until 1960) squaring off with a trio of wannabe Al-Qaeda jihadist groups in an ongoing asymmetric war pitting Western airpower against increasingly aggressive militants. However, according to the above report from France24, the village of Koina has been left without any protection by the army for months and the locals are doing what they have to.

“There is no symbol of the state’s authority here,” says village chief Boukadari Tangara, showing off old B&W photos of his prior service in the French military.

With the schools closed and insurgents prowling, Tangara has formed his own 25-member village defense force.

“The people here are fed-up with the jihadists,” said Adama Coulibaly, a member of Koina’s Brigade de Vigilance with interesting headgear.

A look at their equipment shows the force armed with break-action single barrel shotguns, hunting rifles, and what looks to be a muzzleloader. Pretty primitive stuff to stand up to determined insurgents, but hey, you go to war with what you have…

The reason there are no ARs or even some rusty old French MAS rifles among the brigade is likely due to strict laws against such “weapons of war.” According to the University of Sydney’s gun policy research project, firearms in Mali are regulated by the Minister of Internal Security, control of which is categorized as “restrictive.” Further, there is no right to bear arms, handguns as well as semi-automatic or repeating firearms are largely banned, and all guns have to be registered. Unlawful gun possession will get you five years in the clink. Because why would you need an AR, right?