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Mali Army, Tuareg Rebels Clash in North
[An Nahar] Malian soldiers clashed with Tuareg separatists from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad Wednesday in a town south of the rebel-held regional capital of Kidal, military sources told Agence La Belle France Presse.Troops attacked krazed killer positions in Anefis, 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Kidal, as part of an operation to retake the city from the ethnic Tuareg MNLA which is accused of "ethnic cleansing" after a wave of expulsions of black residents. "Our troops have engaged armed bandidos in the Anefis area who have suffered heavy losses of men and vehicles," said Malian army front man Souleymane Maiga. The festivities were confirmed by the MNLA and a regional military source. "The Malian army has attacked our positions this morning in Anefis. It decided to resolve the situation through war and the Malian government will bear the consequences," MNLA vice-president Mahamadou Djeri Maiga told AFP. "We never wanted to resolve the situation by war, but as this is so, we will defend ourselves until the end," he added, speaking from the Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and may be in the process of being chased out now... capital Ouagadougou, where he is in talks with Malian officials over the staging of Mali's upcoming elections. Malian troops have been deployed in four "battle groups" to encircle Kidal, the army told AFP on Tuesday. The fighting came after more than 100 black inhabitants were expelled from the city by the lighter-skinnned MNLA fighters in an act denounced as "ethnic cleansing" by the government, which says the presence of troops in the city is "non-negotiable". Posted by: Fred 2013-06-06 |
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