Bevægelsen Ansar Dine kontrollerer sammen med to andre islamistiske grupper hele den nordlige halvdel af det enorme ørkenagtige land i Vestafrika, hvorfra tusinder af flygtet efter kampe og strenge islamiske love.
One of the Islamist groups in northern Mali has agreed to allow humanitarian aid groups “free passage” into its territory, BBC online reports Tuesday.
Ansar Dine’s announcement was made after talks with the regional mediator, Burkina Faso’s leader Blaise Compaore. The militants also agreed to commit to peace talks with Mali’s government and observe a ceasefire.
Last month, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution paving the way for an African force to end the Islamists’ occupation of northern Mali.
Few aid groups have had access to Mali’s vast northern desert region since Ansar Dine and its allies took advantage of the chaos sparked by an army-led coup in March.
Tens of thousands of people have fled the unrest this year – many of them taking refuge in neighbouring Burkina Faso.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, for those who have remained in northern Mali the price of food in markets has been too high for most to afford – and the health service and supply of clean drinking water have been affected by the crisis.
The military had been trying to put down a Tuareg rebellion that began in January, but after the putsch the rebel groups quickly took over the region’s main towns.
The Islamists, who have links to al-Qaeda, subsequently fell out with the Tuareg groups and consolidated their power, introducing strict Islamic law.
Ansar Dine has been widely condemned for destroying ancient Muslim shrines in the World Heritage site of Timbuktu – as it says the shrines, revered by followers of the moderate Sufi sect, promote idolatry and are therefore un-islamic.
Se også telegrammet
http://www.u-landsnyt.dk/nyhed/30-10-12/mange-reddet-i-sahel-men-fejlene-til-tage-og-f-le
