NORTHERN RECONCILIATION EFFORTS YIELDING SOME FRUIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAMAKO 000794 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2019 TAGS: PGOV PINS PREL ML SUBJECT: NORTHERN RECONCILIATION EFFORTS YIELDING SOME FRUIT Classified By: Political Counselor Peter Newman for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: The ethnic communities of northern Mali met October 31 to November 2 to discuss security and development problems in their region. All northern communities participated, including former caste groups such as the Bellah. A follow-up commission was formed to dialogue with the central government. As an apparent act of good faith, the Government of Mali (GOM) replaced the locally unpopular Kidal Governor Alhamdou ag Ilyene with a southern Malian, Yaya Dolo. A follow-up commission recently met with Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure (ATT). End summary. ¶2. (C) From October 31 to November 2, the Ifoghas and Kounta communities hosted an intercommunity meeting in the town of Abrik, in the Kidal Region, to continue discussions initiated at the Aug 1-2 meeting in Agouni. Over 300 different ethnic factions were present, including some former caste groups such as the Bellah. The Minister of Culture and the Minister of Industry and Commerce represented the GOM at the conference. The meeting produced declarations from all but three major communities to work with the GOM against insecurity in northern Mali. The three who did not sign on were the Telemsi Arab, Imghad Tuareg, and Imwellemden (Menaka/Ansongo) communities. ¶3. (C) The delegates elected a follow-up commission to engage with the central government on security and development issues. For its part, the central government replaced the Governor of Kidal, Alhamdou ag Ilyene, unpopular with a number of traditional leaders in Kidal, with a southern Malian, Yaya Dolo. Ag Ilyene was appointed Malian Consul General in Khartoum, Sudan. ¶4. (C) The GOM also reportedly reduced Gao Regional Military Commander Elhedj ag Gamou's area of operation to the cercles (administrative districts) of Bourem, Gao, Ansongo, and Menaka. Gamou's authority has extended as far north as Tessalit. Embassy sources report that many Kidal elites view Gamou as an interloper aligned with the former Governor and suspect him of participating in trafficking activities. ¶5. (C) Kidal Tuareg leaders recently met with ATT to discuss local community cooperation on security and governance. Embassy sources who participated in the meeting say they asked that traditional chiefs, whose authority had been undermined in recent years, be empowered. They say their goal is to regain control over northern Mali's youth, most of whom are unemployed and susceptible to opportunistic recruitment by AQIM and organized crime elements. ¶6. (C) The Ifoghas community, as well as other communities that fought against the government in 2006-2007, have requested that the GOM to expedite the standing up of Special Security Units, as dictated by the Algiers Accords. Ifoghas representatives have told the Embassy they would like to remove AQIM elements currently present in Kidal Region, and would prefer to do so as part of the the Special Security Units, rather than on their own. MILOVANOVIC