On Wednesday April 5, at least three warplanes belonging to the Malian military flew over positions of the former rebel Azawad movement in the regions of Tombouctou and Kidal.
In the latter region, considered a stronghold of the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), one of the aircraft was targeted by long-range automatic fire, apparently by the former rebels.
No casualties or material damage were reported, although tensions between the signatories of the 2015 peace agreement have risen.
The former rebel positions over which the Malian warplanes flew are Ber (Tombouctou), Anafis, Amassine and Kidal (Kidal).
The three aircraft involved reconnaisance mission were two Albatros and one Sukhoi SU-25.
They did not launch any attacks but were targeted by long-range automatic weapons fire when they entered Kidal airspace, an act which could be seen as a declaration of war by the Malian government.
So far there has been no official statement on the reasons for the operation, just days after the Malian army recently declared not intention to carry out “a harmful operation against Kidal.”
This statement puts an end to rumours that have been spreading like wildfire on the Internet about an imminent military operation to retake Kidal, which is still under the control of the former CMA rebels, despite the state being represented there by the governor as Mali’s eighth region and other administrative officials.
In response to the warplanes, the former rebels said in a communiqué that this situation had arisen “at a time of tension linked to the blocking of the peace process.”
The CMA condemned the military flights as “a flagrant violation of the May 23, 2014 ceasefire, a serious provocation carried out in the presence of the international community, the guarantor of the security arrangements and the peace agreement.”
It went on to “reject all responsibility and consequences arising from such actions.”
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali or MINUSMA, expressed concern about “the escalation of tensions between the signatories.”
They called on both sides to “exercise maximum restraint in order to facilitate the ongoing efforts to relaunch the process of implementing the peace agreement.”
An action to deter April 6 celebrations
Although the real reasons for this military manoeuvre by the Malian army have not been revealed, it took place on the eve of the celebration of the “11th anniversary of the declaration of independence by Azawad, proclaimed on April 6 2012,” while certain northern regions of Mali were under the control of the former rebels, who were later replaced by religious insurgents.
For this reason, some elements have orchestrated moves to prevent marking this date in some localities of the country.
According to several sources, celebrations did take place in some places, although not with the fervour of the past.
Moreover, this manoeuvre is taking place at a time when the implementation of the 2015 peace agreement has been almost at a standstill for several months.
In response to the decision taken last December by several movements who signed up to the peace initiative to suspend their participation in some facets of the agreement, the government suspended the allowances granted to them from the beginning of the year.
In addition to this situation, there have been recent statements by some voices close to the current authorities calling for the abandonment of the agreement and the pursuit of military action to liberate the territories still under the control of the former rebels.
Preserving gains
However, there are still factors that could facilitate a return to the negotiating table. The current government has three former rebel ministers (sports, trade and food security). The same is true of the National Transitional Council (NTC), the legislative body, which also includes former rebels. These individuals have not been affected by the suspension of allowances and other restrictions imposed by the Malian authorities. In fact, this is the first time since the signing of the agreement in 2015 that representatives officially designated by the armed movements have assumed these roles.
Moreover, when they took office in August 2020, the transitional authorities confirmed that they would make the agreement a priority. They even committed themselves to “completing the implementation of the main provisions of this agreement” before the end of this period, scheduled for March 2024.
At this rate, however, this goal will be difficult to achieve, observers say.
Nevertheless, with this new escalation, there are fears of a resumption of hostilities and the end of any initiative aimed at saving the peace process.
MD/lb/as/APA