OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso: A spokesman for one of the radical groups controlling northern Mali said it will continue to impose separate law in the areas under its control. Mohamed Ag Aharib told reporters on Wednesday that Ansar Dine is however willing to allow the rest of Mali to be governed by a different set of rules. Representatives of Ansar Dine are meeting with mediators in Burkina Faso in the hopes of avoiding a military intervention.
This week, the African Union approved the military plan calling for 3,300 troops to be deployed to win back Mali’s north from the Al-Qaida-linked groups now controlling it, including Ansar Dine. Analysts are skeptical about the mediation effort, specifically because Ansar Dine has shown itself unwilling to relinquish separate law.
Mali rebels say they will not give up ideology
