07-08-2010, 13:56
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#1
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Asset
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: North of where it's cold
Posts: 14
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Info on Mali?
Hello all,
Not an active member here, but hoped somebody could square me away none the less.
I am currently with the US Forest Service and have a potential opportunity to do some detail work in Mali; Pays Dogons. Keeping it very generic, can/will anyone please provide a brief synopsis of the security situation in that region, especially as it pertains to unarmed American tourists? In other words: I will be unarmed and probably not making any additional $$ on this trip- is the threat level such that it wouldn't be worth the risk?
Please respond via PM; if you wish to vet prior to sharing, feel free. Thanks in advance for any assistance or information you can provide, and many, many thanks for your service and for doing what you're doing. Stay safe ya'll.
Big Money
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"Don't talk unless you can improve the silence".
-Lawrence Coughlin
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Big Money is offline
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07-08-2010, 14:19
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#2
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,781
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Money
Hello all,
Not an active member here, but hoped somebody could square me away none the less.
I am currently with the US Forest Service and have a potential opportunity to do some detail work in Mali; Pays Dogons. Keeping it very generic, can/will anyone please provide a brief synopsis of the security situation in that region, especially as it pertains to unarmed American tourists? In other words: I will be unarmed and probably not making any additional $$ on this trip- is the threat level such that it wouldn't be worth the risk?
Please respond via PM; if you wish to vet prior to sharing, feel free. Thanks in advance for any assistance or information you can provide, and many, many thanks for your service and for doing what you're doing. Stay safe ya'll.
Big Money
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How much overseas experience do you have currently?
TR
__________________
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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The Reaper is offline
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07-08-2010, 14:33
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#3
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Asset
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: North of where it's cold
Posts: 14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Reaper
How much overseas experience do you have currently?
TR
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For the most part, in and outta Haiti 93-96. Short stints elswhere with 2/3; short trip to Panama in '89. Only trip over the Atlantic was personal business to Italy.
__________________
"Don't talk unless you can improve the silence".
-Lawrence Coughlin
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Big Money is offline
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07-08-2010, 14:41
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#4
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,781
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Expect terrorists, criminals, and a lot of shakedowns and corruption at all levels.
TR
__________________
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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The Reaper is offline
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07-08-2010, 14:44
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#5
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Occupied Pineland
Posts: 4,701
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Reaper
Expect terrorists, criminals, and a lot of shakedowns and corruption at all levels.
TR
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What he said. For specific details check the State Department website - they're responsible for formulating and disseminating Traveler's Advisories. For general country information the CIA Factbook is an open source document with a decent synopsis - it's also useful for information on surrounding countries incase you feel a need to evacuate overland. 
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A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear.
~ Marcus Tullius Cicero (42B.C)
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Peregrino is offline
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07-08-2010, 14:53
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#6
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Asset
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: North of where it's cold
Posts: 14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peregrino
What he said. For specific details check the State Department website - they're responsible for formulating and disseminating Traveler's Advisories. For general country information the CIA Factbook is an open source document with a decent synopsis - it's also useful for information on surrounding countries incase you feel a need to evacuate overland. |
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Reaper
Expect terrorists, criminals, and a lot of shakedowns and corruption at all levels.
TR
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Thank you much for the responses. I took it for granted that criminal activity, shakedowns, and corruption would be expected; but wasn't sure about current terrorism threat levels there or internal issues that could go collateral. I will check out the DOS site; already visited the Factbook site.
__________________
"Don't talk unless you can improve the silence".
-Lawrence Coughlin
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Big Money is offline
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07-08-2010, 14:46
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#7
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Asset
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: North of where it's cold
Posts: 14
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Additional info:
Originally, I had made myself known to our Washington Office after a mass e-mail recruiting natural resource and planning specialists to assist in recovery projects in Haiti. Although I don't totally understand the psychology, I felt compelled to throw my hat in the ring. Haven't heard anything back on that detail yet, but apparently I'm now on a "potential resource" list for overseas projects.
__________________
"Don't talk unless you can improve the silence".
-Lawrence Coughlin
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Big Money is offline
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07-09-2010, 08:38
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#8
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: The Islamic Republic of
Posts: 67
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pm
Big Money- PM inbound
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You can't train "shot."
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neecheepure is offline
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07-09-2010, 22:53
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#9
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Asset
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: North of where it's cold
Posts: 14
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Many thanks to all who have provided information and assistance thus far. Current status is that I had a phone conversation/interview with a woman from our international programs office. Kinda threw me for a loop when she asked if I would mind continuing the conversation in French for a few minutes...tried to explain, in my best residual French, that I haven't tried to use that for nearly 15 years, but I did manage to struggle along for the next few minutes. I guess it was more about vetting than proficiency, just to be sure I wasn't totally bullshitting, because she told me aftwards that I did just fine. It was also pretty comical to see all the people in the office stop what they were doing and look over their desks trying to figure out what the hell kind of phone conversation I was having. I guess Forest Service employees in Minnesota aren't used to eavesdropping on conversations in French.
Should learn in the next week or two if I am selected for this detail; not sure at this point what my anwer might be if I have to make that decision. Thanks again for all your help and any additional assitance anyone might still provide.
BTW- since I'm here: vetting...can anyone help square me away please. My circle of knowledge was pretty much limited to Aco 2/3, '93-96, and a few 2nd Bn staff from '97. Many thanks.
__________________
"Don't talk unless you can improve the silence".
-Lawrence Coughlin
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Big Money is offline
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07-11-2010, 14:52
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#10
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 191
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Mali 2007 here. Be very carefully. Lot's of people there will want to keep yuou from returning stateside with any of your money. I've worked with their Military though and most of them will try and keep their noses clean but even then, not many can be 100 percent trustworthy. You can throwaway your watch and start learning what "African-time" is. If you have any pointed questions, ask away.
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Bettendorf is offline
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07-11-2010, 19:25
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#11
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Asset
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: North of where it's cold
Posts: 14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bettendorf
Mali 2007 here. Be very carefully. Lot's of people there will want to keep yuou from returning stateside with any of your money. I've worked with their Military though and most of them will try and keep their noses clean but even then, not many can be 100 percent trustworthy. You can throwaway your watch and start learning what "African-time" is. If you have any pointed questions, ask away.
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Not many worries about the money, I don't personally have much to start with- I will be TDY with most, if not all, expenses already covered...pretty much, the only $$ I would have with me in-country would be Uncle Sugar's. The people I would be working with or otherwise interacting with would be local guides who have already been screened to some extent and pre-selected villagers. Presumably, I won't have any problems with our NGO partners who will be setting up the travel, lodging, meals, etc. as our project would be a follow-on to several others that have already taken place.
__________________
"Don't talk unless you can improve the silence".
-Lawrence Coughlin
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Big Money is offline
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07-12-2010, 14:16
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#12
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Orange, Ca.
Posts: 4,941
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I worked for a man from Mali. He had an MBA from Columbia University. Very nice guy, very bright. BUT- He believed with all his heart and soul that the CIA had made the AIDS virus in a lab and released it in Africa to kill all the Africans. The only reason I related this story is to remind you that even though you probably will be dealing with intelligent, educated individuals, they were raised in a culture with a different mind-set and priorities. Be aware that what you consider the "Right Thing to Do" may not be relevant to your counterpart's beliefs...
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mark46th is offline
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02-21-2011, 19:14
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#13
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Guerrilla Chief
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Ft Benning
Posts: 707
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Mali stampede in Bamako 'kills dozens'
So much for the religion of peace. Sounds like a midnight madness sale at Wal-Mart.
From the BBC:
21 February 2011 Last updated at 19:06 ET
Mali stampede in Bamako 'kills dozens'
At least 30 people have been killed in a stampede at a stadium in the Malian capital of Bamako, officials say.
Seventy others were injured in the incident, which occurred at the end of a sermon given by imam Osman Madani Haidara.
The stampede happened at the Modibo Keita Stadium, which seats 25,000.
The crowd reportedly wanted to be blessed by the imam after the speech, made on the festival of Maouloud, the Prophet Muhammad's birthday.
Most of the dead were crushed against metal fencing as they waited, Mali's minister of interior security and civil protection said.
Relatives gathered at the Gabriel Toure Hospital, trying to find out information about the dead and wounded.
"I've already had it confirmed that my aunt died," Sidiki Coulibaly told the Associated Press news agency.
"We are now trying to find out what happened to her daughter. She's just 10 years old. They go to this event together every year."
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"I see that you notice that I wear glasses. Well, it was to be. I've not only grown old and gray, I've become almost blind in the service of my country." - General George Washington
"There are times in your life you'll be required to perform an exceedingly difficult task to the best of your ability, regardless of your perceived capability. Mental toughness is what will carry the day during these times. In other words, you suck it up and do what you have to do." - Razor
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lindy is offline
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