Mali rebels pull out of peace accord

Tuareg rebels in northern Mali said on Sunday they were pulling out of an international committee set up to monitor a peace accord between them and pro-government forces in the restive region, after deadly clashes between the rival groups sent tensions soaring.
Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati, a representative of the rebel Co-ordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) said his grouping was “suspending our participation in the monitoring group” until loyalist forces pull out of the town of Anefis, about 120km south of the CMA stronghold Kidal.
Pro-government militants seized the town on Monday after three days of bitter fighting which left at least 10 people dead, according to a source with MINUSMA, the UN mission in the country.
Both sides accused each other of starting the fighting, described by the government as the first deliberate violation of the recently agreed peace deal seen as key to returning stability to the vast northern region.
After the outbreak of violence UN peacekeepers set up a “security zone” around the northern town of Kidal, some 1 500 km northeast of the capital Bamako, in a bid to curb tensions.