(Reuters) - Mali’s government and the two rebel groups that took control of the northern half of the country in April, have met for the first time and agreed to negotiate an end to the crisis, a minister from mediator Burkina Faso said on Tuesday.
The Northern part of Mali was captured by the Islamist Ansar Dine group that is linked to al-Qaeda and the MNLA (The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad), after a coup in Bamako in March of this year. The MNLA demands independence for the Tuareg’s northern homeland, which it calls ‘Azawad’. They will stop fighting once this is achieved and start protecting the people.
Ansar Dine would like to introduce Sharia law across the whole country rather than fight for independence. Due to a collapse in their alliance later on, the Islamists along with another group called ‘Mujao‘ control major portions of the area. They have destroyed shrines in Timbuktu and have imposed a strict version of the Islamic law. There has been outrage on an international level over the situation in Northern Mali.
World leaders had requested the African nations to prepare a force to deal with the rebels and also provided the rebels, whose alliance was gradually weakening, a chance to come forward for talks. France has been the most vocal Western backer of possible plan for African troops to retake northern Mali. Seven French nationals are being held hostage in the desert region.
The Mali government officials have managed to convince these rebel groups to a meeting to discuss their issues and to request them to put a stop to the injustice. The groups have pledged to respect national unity and reject terrorism; but the Islamists have still to prove that they have cut al-Qaeda ties.
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