Mali, Tuareg rebels sign historic peace agreement
The pact signed Saturday between the Tuareg and the Mali government was brokered by Algeria – it is called the Algiers Accord – and it aims to bring stability to the country’s northern region.
The BBC reports that the first draft of the agreement had already been signed on 15 May by the government and several of the Tuareg militias active in north Mali – but the most powerful Tuareg rebel groups, all members of the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) coalition, insisted on amendments to the draft.
On Saturday, the leader of the CMA, Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati, signed the document on behalf of the CMA in a televised ceremony in Bamako.
“Trust me — we will make sure that no one is disappointed. We will build a brotherly Mali together,” President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita told a the audience of diplomats, Tuareg leaders, and Mali politicians.
“Today is a great day for all us children of Mali.”
Ramtane Lamamra, the foreign minister of Algeria, hailed “a new beginning, a new opportunity and a new destiny for this great Malian nation.”
The deal signed on Saturday calls for the creation of elected regional assemblies, but does not offer autonomy or federalism for northern Mali, which locals call Azawad.
The negotiators were able to persuade the rebel groups which were part of the CMA to sign the agreement after promising them that their members would be included in a security force for the north, and that residents of Azawad would be represented better in government institutions.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon welcomed the pact and pledged his support for its implementation.
“The ultimate responsibility for peace lies with Mali and the Malians, and the Secretary-General urges all parties to continue to work in good faith to advance progress, and to fully implement the provisions of the ceasefire,” his spokesman said in a statement.
Mongi Hamdi, the head of MINUSMA, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, warned, though, that there would still be “moments of doubt and discouragement, tensions and distrust” on the path to peace.
“The international community will always be with you but cannot make peace for you,” he said, urging the opposing sides to show “good faith and goodwill” in implementing the accord.
The Algiers Accord notwithstanding, Mali is deeply divided, as it has since independence. The Tuareg and Arab populations of the north have argued since 1960 that the sub-Saharan ethnic groups in the country’s more prosperous south have been marginalizing them.
Mahamadou Djeri Maiga, a CMA spokesman, said international mediation efforts had “paid off” but warned that the hard work lay ahead.
“We are for peace, but what we want is that the agreement is actually implemented on the ground,” he told AFP.
“Everyone must respect its commitments… We want peace, we don’t want what has happened with previous agreements.”
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is traveling to Bamako today (Monday) to support the peace agreement, a member of his entourage announced.
“He is going there to demonstrate the presence and support of France for the agreement, which is indispensable for the return of peace and development in Mali,” a source in the French Defense Ministry said.
