Mali government, former rebels meet for peace talks

Malian government officials and former Tuareg rebels met Sunday with Algerian mediators in a bid to relaunch peace talks to settle a conflict in the north of the country.

The meeting came after the two Malian parties signed a peace agreement in 2006 in which the rebels dropped their demand for autonomy for the Kidal region.

Sunday’s meeting was attended by the main signatories of the 2006 accord: Mali’s Territorial Administration Minister General Kafougouna Kone, several representatives of the former rebels and Algeria’s ambassador to Mali, Abdelkrim Ghreib.

Analysts said the meeting of the so-called follow-up committee of the Algiers agreement was the first of its kind in Bamako and a sign that tensions had eased in the north.

It was also the first time former Tuareg rebels have been formally received in the capital.

"We will assess the situation, but also announce steps to further the (peace) process," a ministry source told AFP.

The establishment of a social and economic aid unit in Kidal for more than 10,000 youths in the three northern regions was expected to be among these first steps.

Algeria and Mali have earmarked more than one billion CFA francs (1.5 million euros, 2.1 million dollars) to help the project get off the ground.

The Bamako meeting was also expected to discuss the fight against Al-Qaeda in the region.