BAMAKO: Tuareg separatists repulsed an attempt by Mali’s army to seize control of their stronghold town of Kidal in intense fighting yesterday, diplomats and a spokesman for the Tuareg National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) said.
Mali launched the offensive to retake control of Kidal after a clash on Saturday while Prime Minister Moussa Mara was visiting. At least eight soldiers and eight civilians were killed. Government forces then reinforced their positions.
The fighting threatens efforts to find a peaceful solution to the long cycle of Tuareg rebellions in the desert north. It also upsets plans by France and several West African countries to combat Islamist militants operating in the wider region where they are regarded as a threat to trade and foreign investment, including oil and gas installations in North Africa.
In a statement, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate cessation of the fighting and the establishment of a ceasefire in the sprawling West African country.
Attaye Ag Mohamed, an MNLA official in Kidal, said that the group was in control of the northern stronghold town. “All of Kidal including the Malian Military Camp 1, the regional governor’s office and the Kidal fortress are in our control,” Mohamed said, adding that several Malian army soldiers had been killed, wounded or captured. “On our side, two fighters were killed and eight others were wounded,” he said.
Malian government officials were not immediately available to comment. A Bamako-based diplomat also told Reuters that the Malian army offensive had been beaten back, making it look like an ill-timed attack that could embarrass the government.
Another diplomat said that the Malian army camp had fallen to the rebels and several wounded Malian soldiers were being evacuated by the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA and French troops. Reuters
