Mali rebels agree to confine forces to barracks
Iran Press TV
Thu Feb 20, 2014 4:1PM GMT
The Malian government and armed groups in the country's north have signed a deal under which the rebel forces have agreed to remain in barracks.
The two sides have inked an initial plan for the creation of nearly 40 barracks around the cities of Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal, AP reported on Thursday.
The agreement was reached during UN-led talks in the capital city of Bamako.
The West African country plunged into chaos after President Amadou Toumani Toure was toppled in a military coup on March 22, 2012, for failing to contain the Tuareg rebellion in the north.
In January 2013, France invaded its former colony under the pretext of halting the advance of the fighters, who had taken control of the north of the country.
Last month, French soldiers in Mali killed nearly a dozen Muslim fighters in the northern desert region of Timbuktu.
On Wednesday, France and Germany announced a decision to deploy troops to Mali as part of a joint military brigade in the West African country.
The statement said the forces will join a European mission, which was launched in February last year, to train nearly 3,000 Malian forces. It did not mention the exact number of the troops involved.
Meanwhile, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said the EU is 'preparing to renew' the mandate of the mission until 2016.
Some political analysts believe that Mali's abundant natural resources, including gold and uranium reserves, could be one of the reasons behind the French-led war in the country.
MRS/AB
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