BAMAKO: Separatist Tuareg rebels said on Friday that they were ending a five-month-old ceasefire with Mali’s government and taking up arms following violence in the northern city of Kidal.
The declaration came a day after Malian troops clashed with stone-throwing protesters who blocked a visit by the prime minister to the city, a northern rebel stronghold. Several demonstrators were wounded but there were conflicting accounts of how the incident started.
“The political and military wings of the Azawad (MNLA, MAA and HCUA) declare the lifting of the ceasefire with the central government in Bamako,” said a statement by Attaye Ag Mohamed, one of the founders of the MNLA groups.
The west African country is in the process of returning to civilian rule after a Tuareg uprising that led to a coup last year and the occupation of the north of the country by Al Qaeda-linked militants. AFP
