Magharebia

Touraeg rebels are responsible for the deadly attack on an army post in northern Mali on Saturday which left up to 30 soldiers dead, El Khabar reported on Monday (December 22nd) Mokdi Bouhedda, a founder of the Democratic Alliance for Change, reportedly told the Algerian daily that "a squadron of the Alliance has done this attack based on a choice and a decision taken unanimously". It is the first major clash between Touraeg rebels and the Malian government since signing a peace agreement brokered by Algeria last summer. Asked about another possible mediation by Algeria, Algerian ambassador in Bamako Abdelkrim Gheraïeb, who led the talks which resulted in the August accord, said he had insufficient information to comment.