I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali from 08-10 and got to know and understand the Malian people and culture. To hear soundbites that Mali could, "be the next Afghanistan" not only reduces a warm, welcoming and caring people to an inaccurate statement but also perpetuates the Western stereotype that "the country of Africa" needs to be saved by us. What we have are extremists from the region - Libya, Niger, Mauritania, Algeria - enacting a strict doctrine on a people. This is, admittedly similar to the Taliban in Afghanistan but that doesn't mean Mali is on the same road. For starters, the international community - ECOWAS, for example - are far too invested in the country to allow for the extremists to get too much control. Secondly, we're discussing a region in the far north of the country, far from the capital Bamako both physically and socially. The Malian people refuse to have strict Shariah rule and the extremists are isolated. With this said, thank you for bringing the story of the Tamasheq people to America. Alah k'u nogoya.

Looking forward to watching your report from Mali tonight.
USA for UNHCR