As the UN Security Council approves an African-led military force to intervene in the Mali civil war, France, the US and the African Union bring their own interests to a conflict over the rights of indigenous peoples, complicated by Islamic fundamentalists seeking to take advantage of inter-ethnic hostilities to attack former colonial powers and AFRICOM, the US military command seeking a foothold in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the aftermath of yet another US-sponsored coup, indigenous nations like the Tuareg navigate a hazardous path to independence, fraught with the complexities of foreign forces–including their sometimes ally Al Qaeda. Much like the Kurdish nation spread across parts of Turkey, Iraq and Iran, the Tuareg of Mali, Algeria and Niger face overwhelming odds in achieving an independent state. Real News interviews Nii Akuetteh.