Fears of renewed violence as Mali terminates peace deal with Tuareg rebels

Acting prime minister Abdoulaye Maiga announced the peace deal was dead (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

Mali’s junta has terminated a crucial agreement with local rebels that helped maintain a fragile peace in the country’s north, the government announced, raising concerns about a possible escalation of violence.

The 2015 peace deal with Tuareg rebel groups is ending “with immediate effect” because the rebels have failed to comply with its terms and because of “acts of hostility” by Algeria, which has been the main mediator in the peace efforts, acting prime minister Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga said on state television on Thursday night.