Moussa Agh Sarid: “Ready to help Algeria secure its borders and fight Al Qaeda

A leading member of the Azaoued national council of the Touareg movement in Mali (MNLA) Moussa Agh Sarid has given a telephone interview to Echorouk in which he reiterated his movement’s claims for a separate entity in northern Mali through a negotiated solution with the Bamako authorities.

• A leading member of the Azaoued national council of the Touareg movement in Mali (MNLA) Moussa Agh Sarid has given a telephone interview to Echorouk in which he reiterated his movement’s claims for a separate entity in northern Mali through a negotiated solution with the Bamako authorities.
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• He told our reporter that the MNLA movement was currently in touch with go-between “Ecowas” leaders in the hope of finding a peaceful and early solution to the vexed Malian issue.
• He added that the two sides had so far reached no agreement owing to outstanding divergences over the MNLA’s demands for the setting up of a separate Azaoued state in northern Mali.
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• Moussa Agh Sarid also indicated that his movement had steered clear altogether from the armed extremists now in control of northern Mali stressing that the Azaoued combatants were ready to help Algeria secure its borders and fight terrorist groups operating in the Sahel region.
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• He asserted in this connection that the MNLA counted on Algeria to thrash out a peaceful solution to the Mali issue in conjunction with all the well-meaning parties concerned in order to spare the Sahel region a damaging war and chaos.