Mali rebels reject proposed peace deal after talks with supporters
Updated: 2015-03-16 19:12
(Agencies)
|
|||||||||||
BAMAKO - Rebels in northern Mali have rejected a preliminary peace deal after days of talks with grassroots supporters, saying the document did not tackle the root causes of the conflict but that they remained committed to negotiations.
The proposal, drawn up after months of talks in Algeria and signed by the government in Bamako earlier this month, is aimed at tackling decades of rebellion in Mali's desert north, where Islamists militants are also battling French and UN troops.
In a statement late on Sunday, the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) rebel group said the proposal, put forward after eight months of talks, failed to meet their expectations.
"All the commissions that worked on the document find that it cannot bring peace," Moussa Ag Assarid, the CMA's diplomatic representative to the European Union, told Reuters on Monday. "We could follow up with further talks with Bamako to find a document that is acceptable and realistic."
The United Nations has urged the rebels to sign the proposed deal but demonstrations broke out in Kidal, the rebel stronghold in northern Mali, against it.
Ag Assarid said the CMA leadership would give diplomats due to visit Kidal on Tuesday a full response to the proposal.
With their ranks and armoury swollen by men and weapons from Libya, the rebels took up arms in 2012, seeking to carve out an independent desert state called Azawad.
A coup in Bamako facilitated the seizure of Mali's vast northern regions but the separatist uprising was hijacked by al Qaida-linked Islamists who drove them from most of the major towns they jointly occupied.
Despite Algerian mediation and the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission, northern Mali remains deeply unstable as the various factions sought to make gains between rounds of talks. The Islamists have also mounted a resurgence after being driven from northern Mali in early 2013 by French forces.
Related Stories
5 dead in shooting at restaurant in Mali capital 2015-03-07 21:07
The Third Bridge in Bamako, Mali 2015-02-03 10:30
Mali: last known Ebola case cured 2014-12-12 21:01
US heightens Ebola screening for travelers from Mali 2014-11-17 11:09
Nurse who was Mali's second Ebola case dies 2014-11-12 19:30
UN slams attack on peacekeepers in Mali 2014-10-08 11:38
Today's Top News
Putin to meet Kyrgyz president in St. Petersburg
Film on Crimea sparks off quarrels
Germany seeks co-op with China in high-tech area
Air China to start Budapest-Beijing flight, Hungarian minister says
UK seeks to join China-proposed bank
China has 'huge growth potential'
72% worry about retirement life
Fears voiced over violent scenes
Hot Topics
Lunar probe , China growth forecasts, Emission rules get tougher, China seen through 'colored lens', International board,
Editor's Picks
Annual legislative and political advisory sessions |
Festival Special: Apps that make holiday shopping easier |
Listed firms caught in anti-corruption net |
Conca set to return to China |
CES: Spotlight on Chinese gadgets |
Yearender: What happened around the globe in 2014 |