PARIS: Mali’s Tuareg separatist rebels dismissed French calls to disarm ahead of July elections yesterday saying they would fight to the death if Malian troops entered areas under its control, underscoring the challenge of unifying the West African state.
Mahamadou Djeri Maiga, the group’s vice-president and chief negotiator, said Paris 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. “Have you ever seen a group disarm before negotiations take place?” Maiga told Reuters.
The restless Tuaregs have launched successive revolts since Mali gained independence from France in 1960, alleging neglect and mistreatment by the black-led central government in Bamako.
Despite French pressure, there are no signs in Bamako of talks starting between the government and the MNLA separatists, made up primarily of Tuaregs. Malian officials have said they want to restore their control over the northern region.
An announced visit to the Tuareg stronghold of Kidal by Mali’s Prime Minister Diango Cissoko was this month postponed indefinitely.
“Holding elections just when the Malian army is threatening to enter Kidal is not realistic,” said Maiga. “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.”
The MNLA had seized control of north Mali, which it calls Azawad, in an April 2012 uprising. It was quickly pushed aside by better-armed Islamist rebels, including Al Qaeda’s North African wing AQIM, sparking fears the region would become a launch pad for attacks on the West.
A three-month French-led campaign intervention broke Islamist dominance of northern Mali, sweeping their forces into desert and mountain hideaways, but Paris has now started to withdraw troops as it looks to hand over to UN peacekeeping forces by July.
REUTERS
