Mali junta govt launches terror probe into Tuareg rebel leaders as 2015 peace deal crumbles

Mali has launched an investigation into several ethnic separatists and al-Qaida-linked jihadist leaders for terrorism and money laundering, which also includes a probe into the Tuareg rebel leaders who signed a peace agreement in 2015 and now accuse the government of failing to comply with it.

The instructions issued by Mali’s judiciary this week show that the individuals being investigated include a Tuareg militant and leader of al-Qaida-linked coalition Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) and radical Fulani preacher who belongs to the same group. The list also includes six Tuareg leaders belonging to an alliance of armed groups that recently relaunched a rebellion against the state, despite signing a 2015 peace deal in Algiers. The government of the West African nation has referred to the rebels as a “terrorist group.” The public prosecutor said the investigation was launched “not only against the terrorist leaders but also other members who were signatories to the 2015 peace agreement” and “have tipped over into terrorism.”

This has led experts to express concern that the deal crucial to establishing a measure of stability in the country’s north may crumble. The developments could prompt more violence in a region already under threat from fighters linked to al-Qaida and where both UN peacekeepers and French forces have withdrawn in recent months. The Tuareg rebellion in Mali’s north has been a source of conflict for decades, though in 2015 the Tuareg rebel groups inked the peace deal with the government. However, in recent months, some rebels have abandoned the agreement, signaling a rise in tensions between them and Mali’s military junta. “We can effectively say that the 2015 peace agreement has collapsed,” said Shaantanu Shankar, country analyst for Africa at the Economist Intelligence Unit.