Mali: French enter last Islamist stronghold
2013-01-31 10:35
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Bamako - France called for peace talks between Mali's
government and "legitimate representatives" from the north, after
French troops took up positions at Kidal, the last city held by Islamist
forces.
"This political process now has to advance
concretely," French foreign ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said on Wednesday.
He called for talks with the legitimate representatives of
the northern peoples and "non-terrorist armed groups" that recognise
the integrity of Mali.
"Only a north-south dialogue will prepare the ground
for the Malian state to return to the north of the country," he said.
The United States also called for Malians to refrain from
revenge attacks on Tuaregs or other ethnic minorities.
French troops arrived at Kidal airport in the early hours of
Wednesday, just days after the capture of Gao and Timbuktu and after a
lightning push north, which Paris hopes now to wind down with a handover to
African forces.
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday
the troops at Kidal had been unable to leave the airport there because of a
sandstorm.
But a spokesperson for the newly formed Islamic Movement of
Azawad (MIA), which on Monday announced it had taken control of the town, said
its leader was speaking to the French there.
The MIA says it has split from the home-grown Islamist group
Ansar Dine ("Defenders of the Faith"), that it rejects
"extremism and terrorism" and wants to find a peaceful solution to
Mali's crisis.
Political solution
On Wednesday, the group appealed to the international
community to prevent the deployment of Malian and West African troops in the
Kidal region before a political solution had been found.
Kidal lies 1 500km northeast of the capital Bamako and
until recently was controlled by the Islamists of Ansar Dine.
Ansar Dine and two other Islamist groups took advantage of
the chaos following a military coup in Bamako last March to seize the north,
imposing a brutal form of Islamic law.
Offenders suffered whippings, amputations and in some cases
were executed while Islamists also destroyed sacred shrines they considered
idolatrous in the ancient city of Timbuktu.
France swept to Mali's aid on 11 January after an Islamist
advance south towards Bamako sparked fears the whole country could become a
haven for terrorists. They now have 3 500 troops on the ground.
France urges talks with northern groups
Mali's parliament on Tuesday adopted a political roadmap
which included a commitment to holding July 31 elections and negotiations with
representatives of the north.
France, which welcomed that development, is pushing for a
political settlement between the provisional government in Bamako and the
Tuaregs in the north, who want a degree of self-rule.
The UN cultural organisation Unesco said on Wednesday it
would send a mission to Timbuktu as soon as possible to assess the damage done
to ancient cultural sites defaced or destroyed by the Islamists.
And an expert said that most of Timbuktu's priceless ancient
documents, feared destroyed after the Islamists torched the building housing
them just before they fled, were safe.
Shamil Jeppie, director of the Timbuktu Manuscripts Project
at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, said more than 90 percent had
been smuggled away before the insurgents took power last year.
Drones
Lack of cash and equipment has hampered deployment of nearly
6 000 west African troops under the African-led force for Mali (AFISMA), which
is expected to take over from the French army.
Nigeria's General Shehu Abdulkadir, commander of the force,
said they could be in place within two weeks.
Several countries had offered help airlifting the troops in
and if they delivered on their pledges, he said: "I'm sure... that in the
next two weeks, the troops will be fully in their various locations."
Niger's Defence Minister Karidjo Mahamadou meanwhile told
AFP on Wednesday the country was ready to host a base the US wants in order to
operate drones to monitor movements by the al-Qaeda-linked groups in the
region.
