APA-Bamako (Mali) The official announcement was made in a statement by the public prosecutor at the Bamako Court of Appeal.
The peace process in Mali has taken a new turn. The public prosecutor at the Bamako Court of Appeal has instructed the public prosecutor at the specialized counter-terrorism unit to open a judicial investigation against several jihadist leaders linked to al-Qaeda, as well as members of the rebellion in northern Mali, accused of having “turned to terrorism.”
They are charged with belonging to “an association whose aim is to sow terror, undermine national unity and territorial integrity, and damage the image of the Malian armed forces.”
Certainly, the attacks launched by the rebellion grouped around the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP-PSD) against several Malian army barracks before losing Kidal are not indifferent to this situation.
In any case, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has described these acts as “extremely serious,” indicating that they are “likely to constitute offences presumed to involve criminal conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism, money laundering and the financing of terrorism, illegal possession of weapons of war and munitions, and complicity in these same acts.”Among those being prosecuted are players in the 2012 rebellion, such as Algabass Ag Intalla Bilal Ag Acherif, Ibrahim Ouled Handa, Mohamed Ag Najim, Achafagi Ag Bouhada and Housseyne Ould Ghoulam.
There are also actors who were in movements that supported the unity of Mali during the Algiers negotiations in 2014 such as Fahad Ag Almouhamoud and Henoune Ould Ali. The investigation also targets Iyad Ag Ghali and Amadou Barry known as Amadou Kouffa, known as the two leaders of the ‘Groupe de Soutien à l’Islam et aux Musulmans’ (Support group for Islam and Muslims, GSIM), an affiliate of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in the Sahel. The list drawn up by the Malian judiciary does not appear to be exhaustive, since it speaks without naming them of “all co-authors and accomplices” who must also answer for their acts.
This situation marks a real return to square one, particularly where the peace process is concerned. In 2013, the courts had issued arrest warrants for several leaders of the 2012 rebellion, including Bilal Ag Acherif, Algabass Ag Intalla and Iyad Ag Ghali. These warrants were lifted for the first two in 2013, following commitments to take part in the peace process. It remains to be seen whether these new charges will radicalize them in the maquis.
MD/ac/fss/abj/APA