Militias Train to Defend Mali

What the army won’t do, the people will. Infuriated by radical Islamist forces that have taken control of Mali’s north, citizen militias have begun to form in the country to wrest back power. Tired of waiting on the Malian Army, the young men gathering in training camps are set on repelling jihadists who want to impose Sharia on the country. The disorganized Malian Army has been unable to mount a response to the threat, which has worried the international community, but they are supporting the civilian militias as a response. “These militias, they are very good,” said Malian Army Col. Didier Dacko. “We’re constantly exchanging with them. And we’re helping them with food and teaching.”