Mali: the assassination of Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati weakens the Algiers peace agreement
Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati, at the time of signing the inter-Malian peace agreement on behalf of the CMA rebels, Saturday, June 20 in Bamako.
REUTERS / Stringer
Text by: Gaëlle Laleix Follow
4 min
In Mali, the president of the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), a coalition of former rebel movements from the North, was assassinated on Tuesday, April 13 in the morning.
Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati was shot dead near his home in Bamako by two still unidentified men.
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The shock is still great two days after the assassination of Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati.
Having become president of the CMA, he was already secretary general of the Azawad Arab Movement (MAA), a member of the coalition.
He was a native of Ber, in the region of Timbuktu, where he was a teacher for several years.
Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati very quickly got involved in his community.
He has worked for several NGOs, particularly in the livestock sector.
"
This work of animator with the communities has credited him with great esteem in the region
", confides a relative of the president of the CMA.
An esteem that will allow him to become mayor of Ber in 2009.
Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati, quickly got involved in the cause of Azawad.
In 2012, he founded the MAA.
The movement will fight the Malian forces for the independence of the north of the country.
Towards peace
In 2015, along with other movements, the MAA signed the Algiers peace agreement which would put an end to the conflict.
Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati himself initials the document.
Since then, he led the CMA delegation which negotiated the terms of its implementation.
Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati has participated in all rounds of negotiations since 2015. “
From the start, he invested in the quest for peace,”
adds Mohamed el-Maouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the CMA.
Today, we are worried, because this peace is fragile in Mali, nothing can destabilize it.
"
On Tuesday afternoon, the other parties to the agreement reacted to the assassination of Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati.
In a statement, the international mediation expressed “
its dismay
”.
The Platform, another coalition of former rebel movements from the North, “
condemned this heinous crime likely to disrupt the peace
”.
They all demanded an immediate and serious investigation, which was promised by the Prime Minister of the Transition, Moctar Ouane.
The weakened Algiers agreement
At this time, no information has leaked on the identity of the assassins or the motive for their crime, but this assassination is a very hard blow to the Algiers agreement, which is increasingly criticized because its implementation has been dragging on for five years.
Some former rebels believe that the territorial reform provided for in the agreement is taking too long to take place.
New regions must be created, their presidents must be elected and their powers extended.
But as of now, none of this has seen the light of day.
On the other hand, in Bamako also voices are raised against the Algiers agreement, perceived as a text imposed by foreign countries, in particular Algeria and signed by the Malian state at a time of weakness.
"
Of course, there are enemies of the agreement, but the most serious thing is that there are enemies of peace in Mali
," says Mahamat Saleh Annadif, UN special representative for Mali. from 2015
to March 2021
.
Of course, the agreement is not the only solution, it is not perfect, but it is one of the most effective means in the search for peace and stability in Mali.
We can correct it, adjust it, but the agreement must be a solid foundation on which the rest must be built.
"
► To read also: Mali: who assassinated Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati, the leader of the CMA?
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