MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – January 19, 2013
- More Mali (1) “Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed they are aware of reports that a Canadian may have been involved in the bloody three-day hostage standoff at a Sahara natural gas plant in Algeria. A department spokesperson told Global News they are actively seeking further information on the reports, and are in close contact with the Algerian authorities. “Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms this deplorable and cowardly attack and all terrorist groups which seek to create and perpetuate insecurity in the Sahel countries of West Africa,” the department said in a statement to Global News. In the Mauritian News report, a source with the “Signatories of blood brigade” said the hostage takers were from Algeria, Canada, Mali, Egypt, Niger, and Mauritania ….” – more here.
- More Mali (2a) Rabble.ca opposes the CF getting beans & bullets into Mali
- More Mali (2b) The Canadian Peace Alliance’s take: “…. One transport plane and a few Canadian “trainers” is just the thin edge of the wedge. There is a real fear of “mission creep” as witnessed in the Libyan situation. Canada’s involvement as a junior partner to a NATO aggression in Africa could mushroom in the coming months and years. All this is being done without public or parliamentary debate. This unilateral support for war by the Harper government without consultation must stop ….”
- More Mali (3) TorStar Columnist: “Slowly, inexorably, Canada and the world are being drawn into Mali ….”
- More Mali (4) More on whazzup in Mali here (Google News), here (EMM Explorer) and here (France’s defence ministry’s latest update in French)
- Back in Canada, the federal environmental assessment agency is seeking public comments on a proposed CF firing range and training area near Thunder Bay, Ontario - more details about the project here and here.
- “The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Tom Lawson, joined his NATO counterparts for the first time this past week for a meeting of NATO’s Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting provided Chiefs of Defence from NATO allies and partners with the opportunity to discuss and receive updates on a number of important issues for the Alliance …. The focus of this conference was on NATO’s continuing transformation and reform work, updates on NATO’s current operations, and the strengthening of NATO’s relationship with partner militaries ….”
- “Five workers, including a Canadian, two Peruvians and two Colombians, were kidnapped on Friday by leftist rebels at a gold mine in northern Colombia, the army said. “A group of 20 or 25 bandits from the ELN burst into the place and kidnapped five people,” army General Alejandro Navas told reporters, referring to the National Liberation Army, Colombia’s second-largest guerrilla group. Canadian mining company Braeval Mining Corp. said those kidnapped worked at its Snow mine project. Gen. Navas said soldiers backed by the air force had launched an operation to track down the rebels. He said the kidnapped workers included a Canadian, two Peruvians and two Colombians. Braeval said it was cooperating with the authorities to ensure the health and safety of its employees. It said three employees and two consultants were abducted but did not release their nationalities ….” – more on the ELN here, and from other media (via Google News) here.
