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Rebecca Blackwell / AP
Malian players celebrate after defeating host nation South Africa on penalties in their Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal on Saturday. They are due to play Nigeria in Wednesday's semi-final.
Published at 4:40 a.m. ET: TIMBUKTU, Mali -- The lights are flickering in the hotels of Timbuktu. As night falls, the power is returning. Fleeing jihadists had cut the supplies.
The television screens are switching back to life in time for people to witness an important national event.
It has already been an incredible day in this fabled city. Francois Hollande, the French president, toured its ancient streets a few hours beforehand. He was cheered and even embraced by the people of the town, three weeks after France launched aerial bombardments against Islamist militants.
Now, after ten months of jihadist control, during which playing football and taking part in public celebrations were banned, people are bursting onto the streets beeping their car horns and cheering loudly.
Mali's national soccer team has just beaten South Africa in the Africa Cup of Nations, the continental championships which are held every two years. The tournament is being staged in South Africa, so Mali's opponents had home advantage, making victory all the sweeter.
At a time of crisis for the country, the success of the national side in Mali's favorite sport has helped to promote a sense of unity and pride.
"We will win everything. First we will win the war, then we will win the cup," tourist guide Mamadou Tapily said. "It will ... bring us all together"
Adbullah Cisse, a soccer fanatic who watched Saturday's game wearing the national shirt, said: "Our success has allowed people to lift their spirits and it has given hope to our country at a difficult time. It seems that with the war and the football, suddenly everything is going well for Mali."
Eric Feferberg / AFP - Getty Images
Fans watch the Africa Cup of Nations soccer match between Mali and Ghana in Segou, Mali, on Jan. 24.
Groups of children, inspired by the national success, play soccer matches close to Timbuktu's sand dunes at the edge of the Sahara desert. Their enthusiasm for the sport is only enhanced by claims that Mali's soccer stars have agreed to accept smaller bonuses than agreed in order to help the costs of the country's war efforts. In the minds of many Malians, their decision has cemented the link between military and sporting victories.
Mali's soccer stars will face Nigeria, considered continental giants, in Wednesday's semi-final. If they are defeated they are likely to be celebrated as gallant losers.
If they win, national pride across Mali is certain to reach new heights.
Update at 12:10 p.m. ET: Mali lost 4-1 to Nigeria.
Three weeks after French troops began their assault on northern Mali, Timbuktu is no longer controlled by an extremist group linked to al-Qaida. NBC's Rohit Kachroo reports.
Related:
Full soccer coverage from NBC Sports
'We were so terrified': Jihadists leave trail of destruction, brutality in Mali town
Why extreme Islamists are intent on destroying cultural artifacts
Leave a Comment:
great news...when are we going to get what's up with Islamist Jihad
It is going to be long battles with mad Islamic jihadists for some time!
"He was cheered and even embraced by the people of the town, three weeks after France launched aerial bombardments against Islamist militants."
French should have continued bombing to kill as many Islamic jihadists as possible. Hit them every where!
Well, there are the circuses. Now all they need is the bread and the sheep will be distracted.
Before to long, "soccer" will create nationalism, which in turn will lead to........
Banning soccer ..... I knew jihadists had to be good for something.
"Now, after ten months of jihadist control, during which playing football and taking part in public celebrations were banned"
For Islamic jihadists, it is ban, rape, stone, hate or kill!
Under Sharia Laws, it is rule of few, for the few and by the few! There are no laws applicable to the chosen ones!
Model is Saudi Arabia ruled by House of Saud with a megalomaniac, despotic and bigoted ruler and highly corrupt, despotic, bigoted seventh century mindset 5000 princes and princesses.
Sharia Law is obviously modeled after the way Progressives rule in this country. So what's the problem?!
In America --we have to worry about the Islamist Jihad---plus the invasion of illegal Mexicans--killing and raping Americans--also a month old baby girl, Albuquerque, N.M--raped and killed by a illegal Mexican---By Obama giving amnesty to 800,000 illegal Mexicans so they could get jobs---encouraging more Mexicans to cross the southern border illegally---and now Obama wants to give amnesty to 20,000,000 illegals---and a pathway to citizenship--then more will come to America and get on food stamps--many bring the ( TB ) germ and many rapist and perverts---Obama should be held responsible for the one month old baby girl killed by a illegal
Alan,
Don't mention the fact that the infant was his own child. Let's just sensationalize something to make your anti-immigration point. This type of despicable behavior happens all too often, committed by citizens of the United States. Should Obama be held responsible for those too?
"You're entitles to your own opinion, but you're not entitled to your own facts." Daniel Patrick Moynihan
@Alan
You're such an ignorant. Go to a library and do some research, it will do you good.
There would be a personal joy for me in the US if the ban on English translation of Solzhenitsyn's book "200 Years Together" or Thilo Sarrazin's book in English "Europe Does Not Need the Euro " was lifted . We even burn books in the West if they do not fall in with official propaganda, but most people do not seem to have a clue.
As far as Mali , the French terrorists are changing their local culture to their liking. Nothing great in my book-why not just leave them alone ? Oh, there may be oil or gold there ? That is another matter.
Mali has Sufi version/sect of Islam.
But extremist Sunni Islamic jihadists can't tolerate Sufis in Mali, Pakistan, Shiites in Syria, Pakistan and other places.
Followers of Islamic cult, especially House of Saud and other Sunni ME rulers inspired and funded Sunni Islamic radicals and militants (al-Qaida, Salaffi, Wahhabi, MB, Taliban and other label ones), are fast marching backwards to their seventh century desert tribal days.
They are indulging in rapings, lootings, killings and genocides of non-Muslims (Darfur, S. Sudan, Nigeria and spreading like wild fire in many regions and Muslims (Libya, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other places).
In Egypt, the Sunni extremists with labels like Salaffi and MB (Muslim Bloodhounds) are opening up new chapters of Islamic bigotry. Morsi is just a front for them.
Just watch the fate of sane Muslims, minority sect/tribe people, Christians, women and Israel as the time goes by.
Pakis and Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and other Sunni Arab League nations are responsible for 80 percent of world problems including economic ones.
Examine the devastations with Iraqi wars and now sanctions on Iranian oil and the resultant oil price manipulations.
They are making the lives of their own people also miserable by their Islamic religious madness to the intolerable levels.
Declare fountainheads of Islamic jihadists and extremism, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan as terrorist nations as a first step.
For world peace, they will have to be wiped out of the map one day or the other,
Now if Mali would only shake off the rest of the yoke of Islam and make women equal, the country just MIGHT move forward!
It sounds like the extremists want everybody feeling as miserable as they are.