News
Mali: Peace negotiations proceed despite obstacles ahead of July 28 elections
“All parties have decided to make an effort to achieve peace,” the former Burundian president said, seeking to end a crisis that saw al-Qaeda-linked groups take over the northern half of the country for nine months on the back of a March 2012 coup.
A source close to the negotiations said the Malian government was uneasy about stipulations concerning rebel disarmament and the conditions for the arrival of the Malian army. The question of arrest warrants issued against the Islamist rebel chiefs also remains a sticking point.
“We cannot stay silent on all the crimes committed by the armed groups,” a Malian official said.
Mahamadou Djeri Maiga, the leader of the Tuareg and Islamist contingent in the talks, said the rebels were willing to sign the agreement to “move towards peace” and said Tuareg fighters would be “confined to cantonments with their weapons”.
But he said they would only disarm if there were a post-election agreement with the Malian authorities on giving “special status” to the northern region.
Copyright 2013 AFP
