Tuareg groups in Northern Mali have been organizing uprisings since the early 1960s, but signed a peace deal in 2015 with the Malian government, gaining more autonomy. Now a coalition of armed groups(CSP-PSD) have pulled out of the peace deal, citing lack of support or follow through from Mali’s government. The deal was supposed to provide sanctuary for fighters and better government representation for these groups. They demand an internationally-mediated talk in neutral territory if the Malian government wants them to rejoin the peace deal.
While there has been a constant lack of trust between groups and Mali’s government in the past, for several years the peace agreement held distrust at bay and brought hope for the economy in the North. This instance shows that states cannot get away with empty promises and trust between groups is never guaranteed. Decentralizing Mali and integrating former rebels into the armed forces wasn’t high on Mali’s list of national interests, so eventually this agreement was bound to fall apart.
Groups have been especially angered over the government’s continued placement of responsibility onto civilians, as they believe it is conditions imposed by the government and inaction of government actors that lie at the heart of Mali’s issues. To save international face, it is difficult for Mali to be transparent about its actions. Mostly, the government has made thwarted attempts at disarmament, which only caused more violence and harm to the local economy.