There was heavy fighting last week between the Malian army and separatists belonging to the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), a Tuareg separatist group fighting for autonomy in northern Mali from a stronghold in the city of Kidal. This week, a Malian government delegation reached an agreement with the Tuareg rebels.
The cease-fire deal “in principle” would allow the elections scheduled for July 28 to take place in the disputed region.
But the experts who spoke with Trend Lines do not expect that any lasting solutions to the demands of the Tuaregs, rebels who have refused to disarm and have rejected the return of the Malian army to the northern region of the country, will be reached until after the elections.