Soldiers of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) standing near a machine gun at their headquarters in the northern city of Kidal
Separatist Tuareg rebels said on Friday they were ending a five-month-old ceasefire with Mali’s government and taking up arms following violence in the northern city of Kidal.
The declaration came a day after Malian troops clashed with stone-throwing protesters who blocked a visit by the prime minister to the city, a northern rebel stronghold.
Several demonstrators were wounded but there were conflicting accounts of how the incident started.
“The political and military wings of the Azawad (MNLA, MAA and HCUA) declare the lifting of the ceasefire with the central government in Bamako,” said a statement by Attaye Ag Mohamed, one of the founders of the MNLA groups.