Mali: Tuareg rebels and pro-government militia clash

According to Reuters reporting on 18 September 2016, there have been serious clashes between ethnic Tuareg rebels (belonging to the Coordination of Azawad Movements) and the pro-government Gatia militia in the northern part of Mali, resulting in 10 deaths. The fighting took place in the town of Kidal which was under the shared control of both groups in accordance with last year"s official UN-backed peace deal. Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, is worried that the resumption of fighting between the rebels and government forces could create an opportunity for Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb to become more active in northern Mali. He states: "Islamic militant groups played an active role in the earlier Tuareg rebellion of 2012. If the government and rebels are unable to salvage the peace deal, it is likely that the rebels will renew their alliance with Islamic militants. From the perspective of Christians that would be a very negative development since it would allow the Islamic militants to become more influential in the region and would very likely lead to more severe persecution for Christians."