Mali pledges to incorporate 26,000 ex-rebel fighters in army

By BABA AHMED
Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali’s government says it has agreed to integrate 26,000 fighters of a past northern rebellion into its army under a deal with leaders of the former independence movement. Friday’s deal points to a new dynamic in the stalled implementation of a reconciliation accord signed years ago. Malian Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga pledged to spare no effort to fulfill the agreement. the reintegration of ex-combatants will occur in two phases, with the second taking about two years and being completed in 2024. The initial peace agreement, signed in 2015 between the government and non-extremist armed independence groups in northern Mali, has remained stalled.