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Malian rebels clash in north as tensions rise
Source: Reuters
Malian rebels clash in north as tensions rise
BAMAKO | Wed Jun 13, 2012 11:49am EDT
(Reuters) - Fighters from the two main rebel groups occupying northern Mali exchanged fire near the town of Timbuktu on Wednesday, officials and local residents said, highlighting tensions between Islamists and separatists vying for control of the desert zone.
It was not immediately clear what the toll was from the shooting, but the clash marks a ratcheting up of tensions between the separatist MNLA and Islamist Ansar Dine rebels who, just weeks ago, said they would merge to run an independent Islamic desert state.
The African Union has called on the United Nations Security Council to give it a mandate to dispatch a force to Mali to help restore authority in the north, which experts warn has become a safe haven for criminals and extremists, including al Qaeda.
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BAMAKO | Wed Jun 13, 2012 11:49am EDT
(Reuters) - Fighters from the two main rebel groups occupying northern Mali exchanged fire near the town of Timbuktu on Wednesday, officials and local residents said, highlighting tensions between Islamists and separatists vying for control of the desert zone.
It was not immediately clear what the toll was from the shooting, but the clash marks a ratcheting up of tensions between the separatist MNLA and Islamist Ansar Dine rebels who, just weeks ago, said they would merge to run an independent Islamic desert state.
The African Union has called on the United Nations Security Council to give it a mandate to dispatch a force to Mali to help restore authority in the north, which experts warn has become a safe haven for criminals and extremists, including al Qaeda.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/13/us-mali-crisis-idUSBRE85C11H20120613
