Dutch soldiers to Mali neo-colonial war

French soldier in Mali with skull mask

This photo of a French Foreign Legion soldier, part of the invasion of Mali, shows the real face of that war.

That war is not “against Al Qaeda terrorism” (supported by the French government in Libya, and still in Syria). It is not for women’s rights, human rights or secularism.

It is in support of a military dictatorship.

It brings death, mainly to Malian civilians.

This war is a neo-colonial war.

The French Foreign Legion became infamous in the nineteenth century for its atrocities while imposing colonial rule in Algeria and elsewhere. Now, it plays a role in twenty-first century neo-colonialism as well.

While the Dutch government are preaching “austerity” to their citizens, they are planning to spend lots of money on neo-colonial war in Mali.

Translated from NOS TV in the Netherlands:

Thursday 12 Dec 2013, 18:34

The [Dutch] Lower House of parliament as expected has supported the decision to send 368 troops to Mali. …

Only the PVV, the Socialist Party and the Party for the Animals are against it. The PVV thinks that it is Islamic countries’ turn to supply troops.

It is a bit ironic that the PVV, Geert Wilders‘ xenophobic party, now suddenly has faith in Muslim soldiers. In the PVV ideology, all Muslims are equally absolute evil and supposedly all of them are al-Qaeda … still, now only they are supposed to do the dying for, mainly French, neo-colonial interests.

The SP and the Party for the Animals are afraid that sending troops will only lead to even more unrest in Mali.

On August 9, French forces bombed an Islamist militant position in north Mali. It was reported that four or five bombs were dropped in the Essakane region west of the city of Timbuktu. The following day, US president Barack Obama announced that the US government would be sending $10 million to France to help finance these operations: here.

United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki Moon has ordered an investigation into violence in which three protesters were killed during a demonstration at a UN peacekeeping base in northern Mali this week. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that Mr Ban “deplores the incidents” during Tuesday’s protest in Gao in which several others were also seriously injured: here.