U.S. may give $32M to train African troops in Mali

[Reece]

SEVARE, Mali (AP) — The Obama administration is seeking an additional $32 million to train African troops to fight Islamic extremists in Mali.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters Friday the request had been made to Congress.

The United States is not providing any direct aid to the Malian government because the democratically elected president was overthrown in a coup last year.

However, it has been providing aid to the French-led mission, transporting French troops and equipment to Mali.

France has some 2,400 forces in the West African nation but says it wants African nations to take the lead in fighting the extremists who rule northern Mali.

The French-led operation began on Jan. 11 after the militants surged southward from their strongholds and took the town of Konna, later recaptured by government forces.

[SugarD]

SEVARE, Mali (AP) — The Obama administration is seeking an additional $32 million to train African troops to fight Islamic extremists in Mali.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters Friday the request had been made to Congress.

The United States is not providing any direct aid to the Malian government because the democratically elected president was overthrown in a coup last year.

However, it has been providing aid to the French-led mission, transporting French troops and equipment to Mali.

France has some 2,400 forces in the West African nation but says it wants African nations to take the lead in fighting the extremists who rule northern Mali.

The French-led operation began on Jan. 11 after the militants surged southward from their strongholds and took the town of Konna, later recaptured by government forces.

When I saw the French on TV in Mali "fighting terrorism", I knew it would be only a matter of time until the U.S. got involved. I just hope that our country supporting the African troop training doesn't lead us into going to war all over again, like with what happened to Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Salmonella]

While the landlocked West African state of Mali has considerable mineral resources, it has no known commercially exploitable oil or gas resources. There is therefore no upstream oil industry.

So yeah, this is kind of a surprise.

[Duel]

Why exactly would they need so much just for training?

[Mikal]

Why exactly would they need so much just for training?

Exactly, training is physical, not money dependent...

[BKP]

I dont think you can train with rocks and sticks, you need some sorts of weapons and ammunition

[Duel]

I dont think you can train with rocks and sticks, you need some sorts of weapons and ammunition

I didn't say they must not get any amount of money donated, I clearly said why do they need  so much..

[Salmonella]

Equipment (which might be more than you expected), transportation, territory, salaries, the list goes on and on. How much does it cost to built one Apache helicopter again?

From Boeing, off the shelf about $12m.

You will however need to demonstrate that you are a government, friendly to the USA before the sale will be approved.

Now, I don't think they'll deploy one of those in Mali, but similar equipment with similar prices may be needed. There's probably a lot more to it than just a quick training seminar. It'll take a lot of time, and a lot of effort (=money nowadays).

[~Legend~]

The problem with people funding a war is that it is just like them turning up to fight.

In the "modern day", it's rare for just 2 countries to be involved in any conflict over a long term. As one gets pulled down another comes to its aid, then another and another... it's a bit of a vicious circle.

If history can teach anything, WWI became so large scale due to all the treaties and agreements made on the back hand by the large European nations.

[SugarD]

I dont think you can train with rocks and sticks, you need some sorts of weapons and ammunition

Exactly...and each weapon itself can costs hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, just for the basics. Factor in how many people actually need them, and then all the other higher-priced things such as equipment, training grounds, ammunition, uniforms, hiring people capable of training them, etc., then you raise up the bill by a considerable amount.

[[WS]Jacob]

Exactly...and each weapon itself can costs hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, just for the basics. Factor in how many people actually need them, and then all the other higher-priced things such as equipment, training grounds, ammunition, uniforms, hiring people capable of training them, etc., then you raise up the bill by a considerable amount.

$32M to be precise. It seems that fighting will be on-going in Mali for some time, until we find another terrorist 'hotspot' to go hunting around. In doing this the US is not just protecting it's security but also that of other nations.

[Duel]

If only the North was as peaceful as the South.

[[WS]Jacob]

If only the North was as peaceful as the South.

This can all be resolved through Gangnam Style