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Mali Conflict:Tuareg rebels reject disarmament talks before elections in July / Africa News

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The separatist Malian Tuareg rebels who started the insurgency in Mali have dismissed France’s call to disarm the group before the July schedule elections in the country.

France backed proposal by the interim government to hold elections in July this year but cautioned that the country should be free of armed groups before the elections.

But the rebels vowed to fight to death if Malian troops enter areas under they control currently in the West African nation.

The group accused Malian troops of carrying arbitrary killings of civilians during the heat of the insurgency and vowed thereof not to allow Malian troops enter its territory.

It is believe that the Tuareg rebels still controls some parts of the country but analysts say the group supported French and African Union troops to oust militants in the north of the country.

The group according to local reporters in Kidal is looking for autonomy and was in France to negotiate with the former colonial master of the country for a roadmap to their demands.

The group vice-president Mahamadou Djeri Maiga who met the French government told reporters in the French capital Paris that France had a moral obligation to force the interim Malian government to the negotiating table to flesh out a deal that would create a framework for autonomy in the north and provide international guarantees.

“Holding elections just when the Malian army is threatening to enter Kidal is not realistic, have you ever seen a group disarm before negotiations take place? Mr. Maiga asked.

“It’s a war that is imminent not elections. If France allows the Malian army to attack us in Kidal, then we will defend ourselves to the death”, he continued.

He also said it the primary responsibility for Paris to pressure Bamako to come to the negotiation table with them to determine the next direction of the nation.

“France knows our position. We will not accept disarming without a consensus between us and the Malian government…We have to be shown what we will get tomorrow and who will guarantee it, France is running Mali, It must put pressure on Bamako”, he concluded.

He however failed to give details about his mission on how far the negotiation went with the French government.

Analysts have warned that an election in Mali could lead fresh unrest and north-south conflict in the West African nation.

Hundreds of thousands of Malians have been displaced by the fighting and the north remains vulnerable to guerrilla-style counter attacks from militants.

The African Union troops in the country is expected to become the backbone for a proposed 11,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission the French government proposed as it has started withdrawing its forces from the country.

Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News

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  1. If giving the Tuaregs some degree of autonomy in the north is what will guarantee permanent peace, why is the government so reluctant to do so? At this point it seems to me as if there is more to the refusal of the government to do this. What the Malian government does not seem to realise is that once it grants the Tuaregs some autonomy, the jihadists are far less likely to return there because the Tuaregs are fiercely secular and will resist the jihadists before the Malian government even have to start sending troops. Let us remember that the jihadists were able to infiltrate northen Mali in the first place because of the disenchantment of the local Tuareg population with the government in Bamako. So the goverment should be wise and work with the Tuaregs.If the Tuaregs are happy, it can go a long way in guaranteeing the long term peace of Mali. So let there be some compromise with the Tuaregs. If the government is presently emboldened to refuse compromise with the Tuaregs because of the backing of France, then let them learn from history and the dynamics of international relations. Things can change anytime, and there is no absolute quarantee that France will always be there for them. In the final analysis, the ability to ensure long-term peace in Mali is in the hands of the government of Mali more than France or any other actor.

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