Africa

Tuareg rebels ready to sign peace deal with Malian government: source

tahmasebi20130611234332123Tuareg rebels in Mali are ready to sign a peace deal with the government, an informed source says.

A Tuareg source in neighboring Burkina Faso said that the group is ready to sign a regionally brokered peace deal, AFP reported on Tuesday.

Talks between the two sides kicked off in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on Saturday.

“We will not obstruct the process,” the source said, adding, “When the time comes, we will sign, no problem.”

Earlier in the day, a Malian source stated that the government is also ready for a peace deal but is seeking some final changes to the agreement.

Chaos broke out in the West African country after Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure was toppled in a military coup on March 22, 2012. The coup leaders said they mounted the coup in response to the government’s inability to contain the Tuareg rebellion in the north of the country, which had been going on for two months.

However, in the wake of the coup d’état, the Tuareg rebels took control of the entire northern desert region, but the Ansar Dine extremists then pushed them aside and took control of the region, which is larger than France or Texas.

And then France launched a war in Mali on January 11, 2013, under the pretext of halting the advance of the militants.

Back to top button