Mali hotel massacre 'aimed at derailing peace talks'

The assault on a luxury hotel in Mali’s capital that killed 19 people was a clear attempt to derail a fragile peace process meant to stabilise the country’s volatile north, a representative of northern separatist groups have said.

Halting peace negotiations have been dragging on between the central government and northern separatist groups for more than two years in an effort to end the disputes that turned large sections of the country into haven for radical Islamic militants.