The armed groups that signed the peace agreement in Mali expressed their concern about the rejection of the agreement by the current authorities.
The coordinating body of the Azawad Movement, an alliance of Tuareg and Arab groups from the north of the country, which raised an uprising against the central government in 2012, and then concluded in 2015, is concerned about the continued deterioration of the social and political situation” in Mali.
The statement was made following a meeting of the commission on Saturday and Sunday in Kidal (north) in the presence of representatives of the Malian administration and the United Nations Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
Mali, a poor and landlocked country in the heart of the Sahel, has seen two military coups in August 2020 and May 2021.
The political crisis coincides with a major security crisis that has been ongoing since 2012 and the outbreak of a separatist and jihadist uprising in the north.
This violence has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians and soldiers and the displacement of thousands.
The government has adopted a temporary timetable allowing civilians to return to power in March 2024.
In a statement, the Coordination of Azawad Movements condemned “all forms of violence and intimidation against the civilian population” and “deplored the lack of an adequate response to this tragic situation.”
She “noted with concern the failure to implement the Algiers Agreement after the transfer of power”, stressing that it “reserves the right to learn all the lessons.”
In an earlier statement released in March, the commission expressed “regret at the lack of progress in implementing the agreement” in light of the transition period.
The Algiers agreement provides for the integration of former rebels into the Mali Defense Forces, as well as granting regions of the country a greater degree of independence.
The deal is vital to stabilizing the country, which has been in turmoil since 2012, but its implementation has been faltering.
Source: AFP.