After weeks of conflict between the government of Mali and Islamic extremists attempting to overtake the country, the Obama administration is looking to get involved. The State Department announced Friday that it was making a request to Congress to provide $32 million to train troops in the African nation. Despite a promise not to give money directly to the government—the current president took over in a coup over a democratically-elected one—the U.S. has already provided aid to the French effort to bolster Malian troops. French troops arrived in Mali on Jan. 11 to help bolster attempts to overthrow the government.
