Nouakchott – A high-level Malian delegation arrived in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott on Friday, a diplomatic source said, amid tensions over the disappearance of Mauritanian civilians in a border area.
The envoys are led by Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop and include government spokesperson Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, armed forces chief Oumar Diarra and Colonel Modibo Kone, head of Malian intelligence, the source said.
On Tuesday, Mauritania accused Mali’s army of “recurring criminal acts” after a number of its citizens went missing near the border.
The Mauritanian authorities have not given details, although an MP says at least 15 people had been killed in a border area south of Adel Bagrou, in the east of the country.
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Unverified voice recordings posted on social media quote witnesses as blaming the Malian army for the disappearance of as many as 30 Mauritanians.
On Wednesday, Maiga, the Malian spokesperson, confirmed that “murders” had occurred and said Mali had opened an inquiry.
But, he insisted, there was “at this point no evidence” to implicate the armed forces, “which respect human rights and always behave professionally”.
Junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita, he added, had spoken with Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani.
Questions about the Malian army were raised after a previous incident in January, when seven Mauritanians were killed in the same area.
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The Malian authorities said at the time they would open an inquiry and insisted nothing implicated the country’s armed forces. The status of the probe has not been made public.
Mali and Mauritania are key countries in the poor and troubled Sahel region of West Africa.
Mali is in the grip of a decade-old security crisis, with its poorly-equipped armed forces struggling with jihadist insurgents, ethnic violence and criminal gangs.
The military junta that seized power in August 2020, toppling elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita after a wave of public protests.
The junta had been seeking closer ties with Mauritania to help ease the impact of an embargo by Mali’s neighbours over failures to meet a promise to stage elections.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Getty Images
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