Mali: Rebels sign peace deal with government

According to AFP and Reuters on June 20, the Confederation of Azawad Movements (CMA) - an alliance of major rebel groups in Mali led by the Tuareg rebel group, and the government of this country signed a historic agreement to end years of violence in this country divided by ethnic divisions amid a raging jihadist insurgency.

UN peacekeepers stand guard at the Salem Hotel in Bamako. (Source: AFP/VNA).

Speaking at the signing ceremony, CMA representative Mahamadou Djeri Maiga said: “Peace is never achieved alone by a signature alone, but it is born from respect for the commitments guaranteed by that signature and by the political will of the parties involved."

Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General Mongi Hamdi said the 11,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission will support the implementation of the agreement./.

(According to AFP/VNA)