Mali happy with peace efforts

2008-07-01 20:31

Bamako - Mali is satisfied with the efforts to put the peace process in northern Mali, the scene of recent Tuareg rebel attacks, back on track, a member of the Malian delegation to talks in Algiers said on Tuesday.

"We have returned very satisfied with our mission. We marked the points for future negotiations while keeping with the Algiers peace accord signed in 2006 by the Malian government and Tuareg rebels," the diplomatic source who did not want to be named said.

The Algiers talks, held this weekend, were organised after several recent attacks on the Malian army attributed to Tuareg rebels which have caused Bamako to accuse the Tuareg rebels of violating the 2006 peace accord.

It was the first time in several months that both the Tuareg rebels and an official Malian delegation went to Algiers to meet the Algerian mediators in the conflict.

The Tuareg are a nomadic people who have roamed the southern Sahara for centuries. They have staged uprisings in recent years in both Mali and neighbouring Niger claiming autonomy for their traditional homeland.

A rebel group led by Ibrahim Ag Bahanga has been holding a group of dozens of Malian soldiers hostage since March. The army says it is also holding a number of Tuareg rebels captured during clashes.

- AFP