Mali, Tuareg rebels agree to sign peace deal
Iran Press TV
Tue Jun 18, 2013 3:20PM GMT
Mali has agreed to sign a peace deal with the Tuareg rebels controlling the northern town of Kidal in the West African country.
The deal will be signed later Tuesday in Ouagadougou, where peace negotiations between representatives of the two sides have been taking place since last week, a statement from Burkina Faso's government said.
Meanwhile, Mali's chief negotiator Tiebile Drame said, “The accord is ready to be signed…The interim accord will be signed this afternoon.”
“We agreed that Malian forces will return to Kidal soon as possible, followed by the administration and technical services. Now what remains is to agree on the practical details of the deployment,” Drame said.
For his part, Moussa Ag Attaher, a spokesman for the Tuareg rebels, said that the group is ready to sign the accord.
The Tuaregs of National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) managed to seize a chunk of the region and still take control of the key town of Kidal.
France launched a war in the resource-rich West African country in January against local fighters seeking independence for the vast northern desert.
The French-led war on Mali has caused a serious humanitarian crisis in the northern areas of the country and has displaced thousands of people, who now live in deplorable conditions.
France began to withdraw some of its 4,000 troops in April. However, France’s Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian reaffirmed in April that the country would keep 1,000 troops in Mali even after the arrival of more than 12,000 UN peacekeepers later this year.
MAM/KA
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
