President Mohamed Morsy has expressed the government’s opposition to French intervention in Mali. During the Arab and Economic and Social Development Summit in Riyadh on Monday, Morsy said Egypt rejects any extremism or violence against innocent people, especially as military intervention by foreign powers would further intensify the conflict.
The president insisted that the region should instead seek peaceful intervention in Mali, emphasising development initiatives and aid. “We do not want to instigate a new bloody conflict in central Africa that isolates it from its sub-Saharan brethren,” he said according to state-owned MENA.
Head of the upper house of parliament Ahmed Fahmy also rejected the military intervention while in Khartoum as part of the Conference of the Parliamentary Union of Islamic Countries, saying that he supported Malians’ rights and deliverance from financial oppression.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its concern last week over France’s decision to begin military operations in Mali, saying it could damage international peace efforts. Its statement provided a three-point plan, pointing to military intervention as a “last resort.”
