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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Tuareg rebels in deadly Mali raid | Tuareg rebels in deadly Mali raid |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Ten Malian soldiers have been killed and six others wounded in an attack on an army post by Tuareg rebels in the north-east, the defence ministry says. | Ten Malian soldiers have been killed and six others wounded in an attack on an army post by Tuareg rebels in the north-east, the defence ministry says. |
| An army statement said 17 rebels died in the assault in Abeibara in the frontier region bordering Algeria. | An army statement said 17 rebels died in the assault in Abeibara in the frontier region bordering Algeria. |
| The raid comes despite last month's ceasefire with the rebels, who want more autonomy and wealth-sharing. | The raid comes despite last month's ceasefire with the rebels, who want more autonomy and wealth-sharing. |
| A Tuareg spokesman told AFP news agency the attack was to avenge the death last month of rebel leader Barka Cheik. | A Tuareg spokesman told AFP news agency the attack was to avenge the death last month of rebel leader Barka Cheik. |
| War footing | |
| The defence ministry say armed men battled soldiers stationed at a military post for about eight hours on Wednesday before being pushed back, AP news agency reports. | |
| When the ceasefire was signed in April, the government agreed to scale back its presence in the north. | |
| But Reuters news agency reports that the army has been kept on a war footing as they say Tuareg fighters have been behind several attacks since then. | |
| The ceasefire agreement was brokered by Libya, which promised to help develop the region and fight poverty, which reporters say underlies the unrest. | |
| The Tuareg are an historically nomadic people living in the Sahara and Sahel regions of North Africa. | The Tuareg are an historically nomadic people living in the Sahara and Sahel regions of North Africa. |
| Tuareg militants in Mali and Niger have been engaged in sporadic armed struggles for several decades. | Tuareg militants in Mali and Niger have been engaged in sporadic armed struggles for several decades. |
| The Malian military has accused them of involvement in drug-smuggling. | The Malian military has accused them of involvement in drug-smuggling. |