A peace conference has asked the government of Mali to hold talks with two Islamist groups terrorizing soldiers from France, Mali and UN peacekeepers.
Outcomes of the conference which lasted a week said the Malina government cannot avoid talks with leaders of the two Islamist group the Macina Liberation Front, a Fulani jihadist group, and Ansar Dine
The Ansar Dine group has said that it would join al-Mourabitoun, led by Algerian jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar very soon. That means the continuous attack on Malian and French solders as well as UN Peacekeepers would end anytime soon.
The conference was held under the auspices of Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in Mali.
Outcome of the conference urged officials to “Negotiate with the belligerents of central Mali, in this case Amadou Koufa, while preserving the secular nature of the state …. Negotiate with the religious extremists of the north, in this case Iyad Ag Ghali.”
A peace accord signed in 2015 has not been implemented due to disagreements. Holding talks with these Islamists groups according to the conference will revive the implementation of the peace accord.
Mali’s stability has been under threat from activities of Tuaregs in the desert north fighting the Mali government. Tuaregs took over northern Mali in 2012 before French forces intervened.
Source: Africafeeds.com
