Mali's Troubles Highlighted by Mutinee of Elite Troops

Malian red berets on a better day

Mali's elite "red berets" mutinied, on Friday, in protest over being ordered to the front.

They fired their weapons for several hours, refusing to leave the capital.

Eventually things calmed down when the orders were cancelled.

However, their actions do much to highlight but one of the problems facing the country.

Not only are internal divisions stronger than ever, but they threaten to turn things to civil war.

The country also faces the threats of insurgency, as shown by a suicide attack which struck a military outpost near Gao.

France's intervention has removed the likelihood of Mali being overrun by Al Qaeda, but threats are still there.