Tuaregs want justice says exiled Malian former minister

There are reports that Malian soldiers have killed Tuareg civilians in the town of Diabali. A Mauritanian news agency is quoting a witness who says a Malian army patrol arrested nine nomads heading for the border with Mauritania. A Malian security source told the agency that army vehicles returning to the barracks contained the bodies of four Tuaregs. The recent killings highlight the strained relations between the Malian government and its Tuareg minority. Tuareg rebels known as the MNLA, their French acronym, have proclaimed the independence of a Tuareg homeland, Azawad, in northern Mali. RFI spoke to Zakiyatou Ouallet Halatine, Mali's former tourism minister and MNLA supporter who recently briefed members of the European Parliament on the situation in the north.

AFP/MNLA