mali on Vice

Ground Zero

Mali - Under Sharia Law

When the jihadist group MUJAO took control of northern Mali's city of Gao from Tuareg rebels last September, many locals welcomed the return of law and order. But the security MUJAO offered came at a price: a harsh interpretation of Islamic law that saw public beatings and amputations in the city's main square. Full story

Ground Zero

Mali - France Vs. Jihad

Back in February, the only way to reach the city of Gao in northern Mali was to hitch a ride with the French convoys that rolled through the desert every few days. Along the way, a VICE production crew made friends with some French soldiers and chatted with them about what they t… Full story

Al Qaeda Wants Africa

Are the French in Over Their Heads in Mali?

A soldier called our attention to a severed head facedown in the dust. “Is it Malian, do you think?” The gendarme kicked it over and studied the face. Dark blood dripped from its mouth. A fly crawled up its nose. “Nah, maybe Algerian or Nigerien." Full story

Ground Zero

Mali

'Ground Zero - Mali' was shot in Gao, Mali, on February 21, 2013. It's basically the first legitimate combat footage to come out of the war there. Normally the French ban journalists from the frontlines and film a sanitized version of the fighting themselves and then distribute i… Full story

Africa's Biggest Film Festival Isn't Scared of a Little Jihad

While French troops were killing Islamists in Mali last month, thousands of film fans were gathering just a few hundred miles away in Burkina Faso to celebrate the best of African cinema. The festival has been running since 1969, but they still haven’t managed to get everything i… Full story

Dogmageddon

Religiosity Is Killing in Mississippi

Fifty-eight percent of Mississippi's residents describe themselves as “very religious.” The state also lays claim to both the highest teen birthrate and the highest HIV rate in young adults. In this experience we call life, there are plenty of coincidences. This is not one of the… Full story

What Are the French Really Up to in Mali?

When it comes to going to war, it’s not too often we get to see France beat the US to the punch. But in the case of Mali, the troubled north African country with a serious jihadi problem, the French are playing the usual American role of global terrorist-hunter. Full story

World Peace Update

What with India and Pakistan risking a nuclear war by trading bullets all last week, it became obvious that the world would have no problem falling back into its comfort zone of terrorizing itself in the new year. Full story

Global Fear League 2013

It's time yet again for our annual Global Fear League, your guide to which countries will be held up by our media as bastions of terror this year—the year the world finally gives in and surrenders itself to the delicious prospect of all-out war. Full story

Pre-Muslims

Donsos are the Black Sheep of Mali

One night I was at a Restaurant in Mali and a drunk old donso mimed shooting me with a pistol. Full story