Moscow strongly condemns the assassination of Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati, Chairman of the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) in Mali, which adds to the troublesome situation in the country. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued Thursday.
"Moscow strongly condemns the assassination of the popular Tuareg leader, aimed at destabilizing the situation in Mali and bringing additional discord to the already complicated situation in the country. We hope that this crime by terrorist forces will not go unpunished. We expect that the dialogue between the CMA and the government in Bamako will continue with a view to a comprehensive peace settlement in Mali," the document reads.
The Foreign Ministry noted that Sidati played a "significant role in achieving national harmony" in the country and publicly advocated dialogue between the Tuareg movements and the central government.
Agence France-Presse earlier reported, citing the spokesman for the CMA movement, Alma Agha Mohamed, that Sidati was killed on Tuesday in the Malian capital of Bamako. A relative later said the politician was assassinated in front of his own home. The shooters were two unidentified men in a car.
Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati, on behalf of armed Tuareg groups and Arab communities in northern Mali, signed a peace agreement with the government in 2015 after three years of violent armed struggle. It paved the way for Mali to emerge from a grave internal crisis.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from TASS