News
Mali: New president invites separatist movement in bid to begin peace dialogue
New Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita
In a bid to return normalcy and peace to northern Mali, the new President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has invited representatives of the Tuareg separatist movement to a consultative meeting in the capital Bamako, according to official sources.
The meeting will deal with the security challenges and solutions to promote national reconciliation.
This will be the first time that the Tuareg separatist movement northern Mali has come to Bamako for talks and demonstrates their willingness and commitment for inclusive dialogue.
President Keita has made national reconciliation his key priority and peace his primary priority.
The Tuareg separatist movement – National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), is seeking independence in northern Mali. It swept through large swaths of the desert north in the aftermath of the military coup in March 2012, before sidelined by al-Qaida linked Islamist insurgents.
The MNLA signed a ceasefire with the government months after the Islamists were routed and pushed out Mali’s allies in January 2013.