Mali: many questions around negotiations with the jihadists
A Malian soldier between Mopti and Djenne in February 2020 (Illustrative image) © MICHELE CATTANI / AFP
Text by: David Baché
2 min
This is RFI information that we gave you on Tuesday, October 19: the Malian transitional government mandated the High Islamic Council to open discussions with the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) of Iyad Ag Ghaly, and with Amadou Kouffa's Katiba Macina.
Two terrorist groups linked to al-Qaeda, which control parts of the territory and carry out deadly attacks almost daily in the north and center of the country.
An announcement that is not surprising, the transitional authorities having already expressed their willingness to open such negotiations.
But these discussions still raise some questions.
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The announcement is official, but not very detailed. The transitional government did not specify either the basis or the limits of the discussions that could be conducted with Iyad Ag Ghaly and Amadou Koufa. The High Islamic Council of Mali has been entrusted with
the task of initiating this dialogue
. A strategic choice but which, according to Ibrahim Maïga, analyst on peace and security issues in the Sahel, also has its limits:
“
It is an organization that already has a network in the field, recognized expertise.
But the issue of dialogue with these groups is not just a religious one.
There is nothing religious about the factors that drive people to get involved in these groups.
There is a lot of frustration often linked to social statutes, to questions of revenge ... This is why it is important, in the constitution of this commission, that the base of expertise be as broad as possible.
"
Dialogue with Malian jihadist groups is a recommendation of the
Inclusive National Dialogue
of 2019. But not a miracle solution, warns researcher Ibrahim Maïga, who considers it necessary to continue, at the same time, the military response:
“
These are complementary solutions and options.
It is a question of balance of power: to have an offer that can be taken, the situation on the ground should be to your advantage.
"
What could be the contours of an acceptable compromise?
Which concessions are possible and which are not?
For the Malians first, but also for neighboring countries where GSIM is also rife, and for Mali's international partners, some of whom, starting with France, have already expressed their opposition to this type of negotiation.
Finally, and this is not an insignificant detail, it does not yet know how react jihadist leaders involved in this new initiative,
let alone
a political, security and diplomatic particularly bubbly.
The negotiations have not yet started and are already raising many questions.
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