The Malian government denied, through a statement released Thursday evening on the Mali Radio and Television Office (ORTM), the state channel, to have “mandated anyone to dialogue with terrorist groups linked to Al-Qaeda” , led by Iyad Ag Ghaly and Amadou Koufa.
Earlier this week, several sources including the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the High Islamic Council (HCI) had yet confirmed this mission of good offices. “Neither the High Islamic Council, nor any other body has been mandated,” Bamako insists. He added that the government will take note that “goodwill has been shown to conduct negotiations”.
Furthermore, it should be noted that the tone of the press release is firm and is intended to be unambiguous: “no national or international organization has been officially mandated to date to carry out such an activity,” he said. However, the government even says it learned from “the press of the existence of these contacts”, despite the recognition of the demonstration, he said, “of goodwill to conduct negotiations.”
It should be remembered that at the beginning of the week, the Minister of Religious Affairs, Mahamadou Koné, himself revealed these contacts to Radio France Internationale (RFI) and this information was also confirmed by the HCI, broadcast in the pro-government press. Malian and which have not been denied by the prime minister that we have relaunched several times in recent days. But, the finding was something else, the press release last night.
The question is: what has happened in the meantime in the corridors of the Malian presidency and prime ministerial office? Did the minister and the HCI talk too quickly, without the agreement of the head of the junta, Colonel Goïta, which would be at the origin of this backpedaling? What are the real reasons for this press release? Did the Malian government give in to external pressure (since the French state was not for negotiating with the jihadists)?
Note that negotiation is one of the flagship demands of the Malian people brought together in an inclusive national dialogue in 2019 under the chairmanship of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita
