Paper short abstract:

The analysis of the present Mali conflict shows how media -especially social media and mobile phones- have become part and parcel of ‘warfare’ as a social process.

Paper long abstract:

News about the Mali conflict in 2012 came first through the communication of a person in Paris, next was the website of one of the main 'movements', and third were the phone calls we received of friends from Northern Mali, called Azawad, or 'occupied zone' depending on the actors, who range from Tuareg rebels, Islamists, the Malian government to the international community. Facebook pages where news on the situation was exchanged, united people from Azawad, Bamako, USA and Europe. A similar situation in the 1990's, when the North of Mali was also under rebellion, did not have such exposure and there was hardly communication with the outside world. What has happened in the period between 1990 and 2012 that can explain these changes? What has been the role of communication technology 'revolution' in the region? Douentza (southern Azawad) received its first wireless spot in 2002, other towns in the North (Boni, Tombouctou, Kidal) were connected from 2005 onwards. How did this connectivity impact on the manifestation of the conflict in the international world? Is there a relation between the development of the conflict and its mediation? This paper is based on empirical research in Northern Mali during various periods between 1990 and 2013, including two field visits to South Azawad, and internet and media screening of the conflicts' development.

These empirical data will help to understand how media -especially social media and mobile phones- have become part and parcel of 'warfare' as a social process.