CISA REPORT:
BAMAKO, CISA – Political parties in the African nation of Mali have called on the government to hold a forum for peace and reconciliation. A Tuareg rebellion in that nation which began several weeks ago has forced around 55,000 people out of their homes. Many refugees have fled to the north of the country, while others seek shelter from ethnic tension and violent demonstrations in southern cities.
BAMAKO, CISA – Political parties in the African nation of Mali have called on the government to hold a forum for peace and reconciliation. A Tuareg rebellion in that nation which began several weeks ago has forced around 55,000 people out of their homes. Many refugees have fled to the north of the country, while others seek shelter from ethnic tension and violent demonstrations in southern cities.
The uprising by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad or MNLA has claimed dozens of casualties since last month, including members of the army and the rebels. Exact numbers have not been established by independent sources.
“In the past three weeks, at least 10,000 people are reported to have crossed to Niger, 9,000 have found refuge in Mauritania and 3,000 in Burkina Faso,” United Nations High Commission for Refugees spokesman Adrian Edwards said in Geneva.
Emergency teams have been sent to countries bordering Mali to help meet the needs of around 20,000 refugees in neighboring countries.
“Many of the new arrivals are sleeping in the open and have little access to shelter, clean water, health services and food,” Edwards said.
According to Catholic Online the Red Cross estimates that 30,000 others have been displaced within Mali since the first MNLA attack, against the town of Menaka on January 17. The rebels have gone on to attack several other army garrisons in the north of the country.
Anger over the attacks has grown in the south. Violent demonstrations took place in several southern cities including Kayes, Ségou, and the capital Bamako. The marches were organized in reaction to what protesters view as a “timid” reaction by the authorities against the rebellion.
Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré has called on Malians not to confuse the insurgents with Tuareg civilians more generally. “Those who attacked military barracks and other locations in the north must not be conflated with our other compatriots – Tuareg, Arab, Songhai, and Peul – who live with us,” said Touré in a televised address.
Touré highlighted military operations against the rebels. “The army has all that it needs to secure the safety of all our people. We will continue to send weapons and ammunition.”
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