In Mali, military intervention is not enough

West Africa rarely figures prominently on the global agenda. So it is clear that something very serious is happening when it dominates the news headlines and political debate around the world.

The seizure of Northern Mali by an al-Qaida franchise and the terrible events in Algeria have brought international attention to the extremist threat in the region and the impact it could have on the wider world. We must hope the joint military operations under way are successful; but they cannot obscure the roots of this crisis and the threat not only to Mali, but the region as a whole: a threat that seriously risks reversing the real progress we have seen.

Read the full opinion piece on the The Guardian’s website.