Mali: Malian rebel alliance Coordination of Movements of Azawad (CMA) signs peace deal with government
An alliance of Tuareg-led rebels and the Malian government signed a peace deal on Saturday meant to draw a line under a 2012 uprising and allow the authorities to focus on tackling Islamist militants in the desert north.
The Algerian-brokered deal, signed by a representative of the rebel Coordination of Movements of Azawad (CMA), grants greater autonomy to sparsely populated northern Mali in a bid to end a cycle of four uprisings since independence from France in 1960.
The Algiers Accord had been signed in May by a coalition of loyalist armed groups but the CMA held out for concessions on the return of refugees, security arrangements and development plans for the region.
These were agreed with the government this month.