Mali: Government and Tuareg Rebels Agree to End the Stand-off

By staff Writer

Fifty government soldiers died this week during a failed army attempt to seize the Tuareg separatist northern town of Kidal, Malian Defense Minister said on Sunday.

The fresh fighting on Wednesday May 21, the worst since the government and separatist groups signed a preliminary peace agreement last year, threatened to sink struggling peace talks to end a long cycle of Tuareg uprisings.

The fighting erupted, forcing African Union Chairman and Mauritania’s president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, to cut short his visit to Rwanda to travel to Bamako on Thursday.

"In terms of toll, we have recorded 50 deaths unfortunately, while 40 others were heavily wounded" said Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, on Malian state television, in the botched operation.

Maiga had previously said that 20 soldiers were killed in the combat and 30 were wounded since Wednesday as the insurgents battled to recapture Kidal and the Menaka 660km to the south.

Malian army launched an offensive on Kidal after clashes broke out over the weekend during a visit to the town by new Prime Minister Moussa Mara. 

Rebel group, National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) said 40 Malian soldiers have been killed and 70 taken prisoner war broke out on Saturday, seizing dozens of vehicles along with several tonnes of weapons and ammunition

While President Abdel Aziz, arrived in Kidal on Friday May 23. "He has just arrived in Kidal in the context of finding a solution to the crisis", a diplomatic source told AFP. 

He was accompanied by Bert Koenders, head of MINUSMA, the UN mission in Mali, the source added, where he urge the Malian authorities to enter into dialogue with the rebels. 

"We must make every necessary effort to soothe tempers... We will continue to surmount problems with dialogue," he told reporters

Government forces have been pinned back since Saturday by a coalition of several armed guerilla groups, including Tuareg separatists.

Finally the two warring sides reached an agreement brokered by African Union and United Nations, on Friday to permanently cease fire, exchange prisoners, restart peace talks and accept an international investigation into Wednesday fighting.