Mediator Blaise Compaoré calls for dialogue framework with Mali's rebels

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African news explained

Tuesday 09 October 2012

Mediator Blaise Compaoré calls for dialogue framework with Mali's rebels

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Islamists rebels of Ansar Dine on 24 April, 2012 near Timbuktu

AFP/Romaric Ollo Hien

By Michel Arseneault

The President of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaoré, the regional mediator in the Mali crisis, is calling for a "dialogue framework" for talks with Mali's rebels. Mali has been effectively split into two since late March, when Islamist groups with ties to al-Qaeda conquered the north. They have since enforced an extreme form of sharia law and fuelled fears in the region that northern Mali could become a new global sanctuary for jihadi fighters. Andrew Lebovich, a Sahel expert, told RFI that President Compaoré is seeking to talk to all parties involved - even to some radical Islamists.