Mali rebels agree to approve preliminary peace deal

[WorldNews]

Mali's Tuareg-led rebels said on Wednesday they would approve a preliminary peace deal aimed at ending decades of separatist uprisings, but would not attend a long-awaited ceremony on Friday in the capital Bamako. Efforts to conclude the U.N.-backed peace deal have floundered, with the Tuareg coalition saying in March the proposal fell short of their demands for a region they call Azawad. "The Coordination of the Movements of Azawad (CMA) inform the national and international public of its decision to initial the document of 1 March 2015 from the Algiers process to honor its prior commitments," CMA spokesman Moussa Ag Acharatoumane said in a statement. The CMA's refusal to attend the Bamako ceremony could be embarrassing for the Mali government, which approved the agreement in March and has invited several African presidents, according to state television.

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