2012 was the year that armed men seized control of Mali. And their grip looks stronger than ever -- both in the north and the south.Analysts say a military junta pulls the strings in the capital, Bamako.The soldiers, who mutinied and then overthrew the elected president on March 22, closed the year by forcing out the interim prime minister and his government in December.Meanwhile, al-Qaida-linked Islamist militants have controlled the northern two-thirds of the country since April.Their brutal application of Sharia law has included stonings and amputations. Nearly half a million people have fled.That number could swell by tens, or even hundreds, of thousands during expected fighting next year.African leaders now have U.N. backing for a phased military intervention to send in 3,300 regional troops to retrain and ultimately fight alongside the Malian army.African Union ambassador Antonio Tete told the U.N. Security Council the deployment is an integral part of a three-track plan that includes negotiations and reinforcing the political transition in Bamako."Any perception of a lack of decisiveness on any of these tracks may send the wrong message to the terrorist and criminal networks,as well as to the armed groups that are not committed to a negotiated solution,
