From North Africa Journal:
The North Africa Journal : It's been a busy period for Al Qaeda Maghreb (AQMI). Its latest targets have been European tourists and two Canadian diplomats still missing, despite the release of their driver. These latest strikes occurred at the eve of regional summit on security and peace in the Sahel region.
And so part of the motivations behind these strikes is to send a message to those who are combating that AQMI can strike any time, anywhere in the region. The latest from the Malian capital Bamako was that the summit has been postponed since unnamed leaders of the represented countries (Mali, Algeria, Niger, Libya, Burkina Faso and Chad) had scheduling conflicts. The reality is that such summit could not have happened after such a coup from Al Qaeda.
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My Comment: Insurgency movements have been in this part of Africa for decades. This is perfect and fertile ground for Al Qaeda and their allies to operate.