Bamako, Mali: Malian soldiers retreated from the northern town of Kidal on Wednesday after heavy gunbattles with ethnic Tuareg separatists, a major setback for the army less than a year after its highly unpopular return to the rebel stronghold.
Fighting reignited early Wednesday in the town, according to residents who stayed inside their homes as the gunbattles intensified near the governor's office. A weekend of violence was followed by a couple days without intense fighting.
Capt. Remi, a spokesman with the French forces who did not give his last name in accordance with French military policy, said the Malian army was seen leaving the town later in the day.
Over the weekend the rebels had stormed government buildings, killing at least eight civilians and taking more than 30 hostages who were later released.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday he was "deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating situation in Kidal,"according to statement from his spokesman
After being chased from Kidal in early 2012, Mali's military was allowed to return last July, just before the country's long-awaited presidential election.
The Tuaregs, a traditionally nomadic people spread across the Sahara Desert, have risen up against the central government in Mali several times since the country's independence from France in 1960. Their quest for autonomy has had fallout far beyond the land they call the Azawad.
It was the Malian government's weak response to the Tuaregs' 2012 rebellion that propelled mutinous soldiers to launch a coup in the capital. The rank-and-file soldiers who were overwhelmingly from the south, had died in large numbers trying to keep towns in the north out of the hands of the Tuareg rebels.
The overthrow of the president in 2012 ushered in a power vacuum that allowed al-Qaida-linked militants to hijack the takeover by secular separatist rebels. A French-led military intervention in 2013 scattered the Islamic extremists, but Tuareg separatists have retained a strong presence in Kidal despite efforts by the central government to control the northern town.
Ethnic Tuaregs and Arabs later became the victims of reprisal killings, and already concerns were mounting Wednesday about the potential for further targeted violence. One demonstration this week in support of the Malian army's return to Kidal denigrated into protesters attacking Arab- and Tuareg-owned businesses in Kidal.
"Resuming hostilities amid such dangerously elevated ethnic tension carries tremendous risk for civilians and detainees alike," said Corinne Dufka, senior researcher for West Africa with Human Rights Watch. "The commanders from all sides simply must do all they can to ensure their men respect the laws of war and avoid collective punishment and reprisals."
Fighting reignited early Wednesday in the town, according to residents who stayed inside their homes as the gunbattles intensified near the governor's office. A weekend of violence was followed by a couple days without intense fighting.
Capt. Remi, a spokesman with the French forces who did not give his last name in accordance with French military policy, said the Malian army was seen leaving the town later in the day.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday he was "deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating situation in Kidal,"according to statement from his spokesman
Advertisement
The Tuaregs, a traditionally nomadic people spread across the Sahara Desert, have risen up against the central government in Mali several times since the country's independence from France in 1960. Their quest for autonomy has had fallout far beyond the land they call the Azawad.
Advertisement
The overthrow of the president in 2012 ushered in a power vacuum that allowed al-Qaida-linked militants to hijack the takeover by secular separatist rebels. A French-led military intervention in 2013 scattered the Islamic extremists, but Tuareg separatists have retained a strong presence in Kidal despite efforts by the central government to control the northern town.
Advertisement
"Resuming hostilities amid such dangerously elevated ethnic tension carries tremendous risk for civilians and detainees alike," said Corinne Dufka, senior researcher for West Africa with Human Rights Watch. "The commanders from all sides simply must do all they can to ensure their men respect the laws of war and avoid collective punishment and reprisals."
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Akali Dal Chief Sukhbir Singh Badal Summoned By Top Sikh Body Over Rebels' Allegations I Am Still With BJP, Says Expelled Karnataka Leader KS Eshwarappa Yemen's Houthis Claim Attack On Vital Target In Israel's Haifa 25,000 Aspirants For Airport Jobs Paying Rs 22,000: A Mumbai Stampede Scare In Puja Khedkar's Disability Certificate, A Factory Address, Many Questions "Back To Square One": Arvind Kejriwal's Lawyer Seeks Bail, Slams CBI Arrest Bihar Man, His 2 Daughters, Stabbed To Death By Girl's Lover: Police "Bizarre Reason" Why No Sniper Was On Roof Where Trump Shooter Was Hiding Prank Goes Wrong: Woman Falls From 3rd Floor In Building Near Mumbai, Dies Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.