Kidal, Mali - Authorities in Mali launched a campaign on Sunday to encourage Tuareg rebel fighters to give up their weapons two weeks after agreeing a peace deal to end their struggle for autonomy for the country's northern Kidal region.
"Everyone thinks they must carry a weapon in order to feel safe... We must first explain to people that it is weapons that create insecurity," said Kidal governor Alhamdou Liyene Ag said.
"Fighting against the spread of arms will also help stop drug trafficking in the region," said Mohamed Ag Mahmud, director of the Northern Mali Development Agency.
Tuareg rebels announced on October 10 they would lay down their arms at a special ceremony organised in Libya.
Continues Below ↓
They had signed a similar 2006 peace agreement in which they dropped their demand for autonomy for Kidal.
Malian officials hope the campaign will encourage rebel leaders to go "to the end" in the peace process and convince dissident groups to surrender their weapons.
The Tuaregs are an indigenous, nomadic Berber tribe who roamed the Sahara for centuries before nations of the region gained independence from European colonial powers.
In Mali, the Tuaregs have long pressed their government for aid in developing the Sahel state's northern region. - Sapa-AFP
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
