Mali: Peace on the horizon as Tuareg separatists resolve to halt conflict

Two rival Tuareg groups in northern Mali have ended a decades-old feud that has frustrated efforts to halt a conflict between the government and the Tuareg separatist movement, according to documents seen by reporters.

The Ifoghas and Inghad Tuareg sub-groups have clashed for decades but their rivalry took on a new dimension when Tuareg separatist movement led by the Ifoghas group seized the country’s north in 2012, with support from al-Qaeda-linked Islamist fighters.

An international military offensive in January 2013 drove out the Islamists but tensions persisted between the government and the Tuareg separatist movement.

A peace deal in June failed to end that conflict between the two sub-groups.

An accord signed by the two groups’ leaders following talks last week pledged to turn the page and consult on issues of shared political and economic interest in the desert region.

“The parties agreed to resolve all differences by dialogue and do everything to consolidate security and unity,” said the October 10 document. It said any issues not resolved by dialogue would be referred to judges. A commission would be created to monitor the implementation of the deal.

While the Ifoghas sub-group has long sought greater freedom from Mali, the Inghad group has seen alliance with the Malian state as a means of escaping its traditional subjugated role.

An official from the Inghad group, said the accord was the result of a grassroots community initiative: “The people are tired of war.”

On Monday, the Malian government it would spend US$175 million a year between 2016 and 2018 to finance the peace deal. The funds will go toward roads, agricultural development, schools and clinics, it said.

Source: Agencies