Almost nine years after the international intervention against the jihadists in northern Mali, the authorities in Bamako are formally considering a dialogue with some of their leaders. The initiative, which is not at its first evocation, had been swept aside but there, it seems to impose itself on the political spectrum.
Contacts but “no negotiations”
The Malian government refuses to talk about negotiations with jihadist leaders and says that “no national or international organization has been officially mandated to carry out such an activity“. No denial, however, on the dialogue or contact with jihadist groups, as announced a few days earlier by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. A mission which should be carried out by the High Islamic Council of Mali (HCIM), a structure bringing together chiefs and religious authorities.
Frequent jihadists
The option of dialogue with certain jihadist groups is nothing new. Several initiatives have already been launched by this same High Islamic Council in all discretion, until former President Ibrahim Boubakar Keïta officially recognized the existence of such contacts in early 2020. More recently, the Prime Minister of the transition Choguel Maïga assured Young Africa that the Malian people have been calling for discussions with these groups for years.
The dialogue we are talking about now concerns Amadou Koufa and Iyad Ag Ghaly, the two jihadist leaders leading the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM, or Jnim in Arabic), a group affiliated with Al-Qaeda, and not with the Islamic State organization.
A dialogue with blurred outlines
The ministry in charge of dialogue ensures that this mission is accompanied by “red lines“without specifying which ones. The contours of these negotiations are at this stage very vague. According to experts, they could relate to the modalities of application of the Sharia, the Islamic law already imposed by the jihadists of the GSIM in the areas they control, in particular in matters of dress code, prohibition of music, alcohol and tobacco and mixing.
While waiting to learn more, the principle of discussions with all parties, including certain jihadist groups, is part of a political solution. A subject that will probably be at the center of the National Assizes announced for the end of December by the military junta in power.
France, Mali’s partner in the fight against terrorism, is opposed to any negotiations with the jihadists which it considers incompatible with the presence of French soldiers in the country.