“Ansaruddin Movement” Delegation in Algeria to prevent military intervention in Mali

For the second time, a delegation from the Ansar al-Din group, one of the Islamic Touaregs Factions in Mali, arrived to Algeria on Sunday, to hold talks with the Algerian authorities, which are trying to mediate, to end the crisis in the neighboring Mali peacefully.

The head of the delegation of Ansar al-Din group, Abbas AG Intallh, told AFP, “We leave Ouagadougou, where we were negotiating since the beginning of November with the authorities in Burkina Faso, to Algeria to hold talks with the Algerian authorities, on the crisis in northern Mali, where several Islamic militant groups controlled the situation since months, notably the Tawhid and Jihad movement in West Africa, and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb”.

The security source said that the delegation had left in the night of Saturday to Sunday, Ouagadougou, which was connected in the second of November, after mediation led by the President of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaore, on behalf of the Economic Community of West African States, while another delegation directed at the same time to Algeria for the same purpose.

Ansar al-Din movement is the main faction that control northern Mali since last April, along with the movement to free Azawad, and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Tawhid wal Jihad) splinter group.

Algeria considers that any military intervention in northern Mali, must be the “foresight” to avoid any confusion among the population of northern Mali, who are the Tuaregs, and who have legitimate demands, including Ansar al-din (supporters of religion), led by the former Consul of Mali in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Iyad AG Ghali, and between them terrorist groups, arms and drug traffickers in the region.

The capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, have embraced last week end, talks to resolve the crisis in northern Mali between the two delegations of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, belonging to the Tuareg rebels and Ansar al-Din.

The foreign minister of Burkina Faso Djibril Basulat, said that the President Blaise Compaore, asked the President of Mali Diokunda Traore, to appoint a delegation to conduct preliminary consultations with “those armed groups,” adding in an interview with the national radio of Burkina Faso that these initial contacts should specify details of the process of final negotiations.

Previously, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Amar Belani, said that Algeria considers that “a dialogue to end the crisis between the Malian authorities and rebel groups in the north of the country, is still very feasible,” explaining that the military intervention would be a “catastrophic mistake.”