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Tuaregs kill one, take six hostage in Mali’s Bintagoungou

Friday, 01 May 2015 6:23 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 01 May 2015 6:23 PM ]

Soldiers of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) are seen in this file photo standing near a machine gun at their headquarters in Kidal, northern Mali. © AFP

The Tuareg rebels in Mali have reportedly stormed a town in the volatile northern region, killing one person and taking six others hostage.

Hama Aboubacrine, the mayor of Bintagoungou, west of the city of Timbuktu, said on Friday that over 50 armed men from the Coordination of Azawad Movements, known by the French language acronym, CMA, came Thursday to “sow terror in Bintagoungou.”

The mayor added that the gunmen, who were carrying a CMA flag, plundered several shops and a pharmacy and escaped with two vehicles. The CMA comprises ethnic Arabs and Tuaregs.

A UN peacekeeping source in Mali also confirmed the attack in Bintagoungou. There has been no comment from the CMA.

On Thursday, 19 people lost their lives in clashes between Tuareg rebels and units of government forces in the northern half of Mali, which has witnessed several days of violence.

Tuaregs took control of northern Mali, which they call Azawad, in January 2012. The country has witnessed days of turmoil ever since.

On March 22 the same year, President Amadou Toumani Toure was toppled in a military coup. The coup leaders said the ouster of Toure was in response to the government’s failure to contain the Tuareg rebellion in the north, where the rebels are fighting to gain autonomy.

The UN has worked to bring back stability to the West African country over the past months.

The three main rebel groups - the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), the High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUC) and the Arab Movement of Azawad (MAA) - signed a ceasefire deal with the government on May 23, 2014, which was followed by a cessation of hostilities in February this year.

However, the recent clashes have clouded the prospect of a permanent peace deal, which is expected to be signed on May 15.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, also known as MINUSMA, has expressed concern over the lingering peace negotiations. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reiterated the concern on April 29 by calling for an immediate stop to violence hours after armed forces killed two national guards and a child in the north.

MIS/HSN/SS

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