MNLA agrees to Malian negotiations

The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) has agreed to re-enter negotiations surrounding the Malian conflict, on the condition it keeps its arms. The armed Tuareg group, speaking in a press statement signed by MNLA Secretary-General Bilal Sharif, has called on the international community to broker a “just and lasting solution” to the crisis now spreading across North Africa. The MNLA claimed it was committed to fighting terrorism in the region, without any assistance from outside. However, existing arms were necessary to protect civilians in the region, the MNLA said, following a spate of attacks on civilians by Malian armed forces which have been condemned by international rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.