Mali pazidi kuchimbika...Mji wa Timbuktu wazungukwa na waasi!

[Ab-Titchaz]

Jamaa walipindua serikali juzijuzi na sasa wameshindwa kutawala nchi!

Mali Tuareg rebels 'control Timbuktu' as troops flee

Tuareg separatist rebels in Mali say they have seized the historic town of Timbuktu after a rapid advance through the north of the country.

A statement said they had "control of the entire region" of Timbuktu, and had ended the Malian "occupation".

Eyewitnesses said the rebels bombarded a local army base, but government troops had already left.

The leader of the coup that overthrew Mali's president last month has pledged to return power to civilian hands.

Capt Amadou Sanogo said in a statement in the capital, Bamako, that the 1992 constitution - which his coup had earlier scrapped - would now be re-established.

He also told AFP news agency he had despatched envoys to the region to try to obtain a ceasefire.

Analysts say rebels in the north have been taking advantage of uncertainty after the coup to make a swift advance.

'No firefight'

The rebels' statement said they would now begin their "mission of defending and securing the territory of the Azawad, for the happiness of its people".
Azawad is the rebels' term for the entire north of Mali, which they want recognised as an independent Tuareg homeland.

The statement also denied widespread reports that the rebels are backed by Islamist fighters.

Two other important northern centres, Kidal and Gao, fell to the Tuareg fighters and their allies in recent days.

Eyewitnesses told the BBC that there was no fighting in the town.

"Early in the morning there were some noises, and people were scared. And then later on there's no fighting on the streets, nothing happened they just fired in the air and finished," said one resident contacted by telephone.

Witnesses said rebel fighters were mixing with local Arab militiamen, who have been protecting businesses since troops fled the town.

Rebels from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) have been driving around the town in their pick-ups, waving the MNLA flag.

Timbuktu, about 700km (440 miles) from the capital Bamako, was the only major northern town still under the control of the Malian army.

Regional meeting

The country has been in turmoil for more than a week since army officers overthrew the government, blaming it for failing to contain the rebels, who launched their offensive in January.

Capt Sanogo said on Sunday that state institutions would be "restored".
He said the coup leaders would consult with local political forces to set up a transition body "with the aim of organising peaceful, free, open and democratic elections in which we will not take part".

Regional bloc Ecowas said its leaders would hold a meeting in Senegal on Monday to discuss Mali.

Ecowas had threatened to close land borders, freeze assets and impose a financial blockade if the army did not stand down before Monday.

Ivory Coast President and Ecowas leader Alassane Ouattara said the bloc was prepared "to take the necessary measures".

BBC News - Mali Tuareg rebels 'control Timbuktu' as troops flee

 

[Absolute]

Waasi wa Tuareg wenye mfungamano na Harakati ya Taifa kwa ajili ya Ukombozi wa Azwad wametangaza katika taarifa yao ya leo kuwa hivi sasa wameidhibiti kikamilifu Gau, moja ya miji muhimu ya kaskazini mwa Mali.
Waasi hao wametangaza kuwa Harakati ya Taifa kwa ajili ya Ukombozi wa Azwad imechukua udhibiti wa mji wa Gau na hivyo kuhitimisha kukaliwa kwa mabavu eneo hilo na vikosi vya Mali na kwamba kuanzia sasa eneo hilo litasimamiwa na kuendeshwa na kundi hilo. Waasi wa Tuareg pia wametangaza kuutwaa mji mkongwe wa Timbuktu hii leo.
Katika upande mwingine duru za habari za kieneo huko Mali zimearifu kuwa waasi wa Tuareg jana walichukua udhibiti wa kambi mbili za jeshi la Mali huko katika mji wa Gau, moja kati ya miji muhimu ya kaskazini mwa Mali baada ya kuvishinda nguvu vikosi vya serikali.
Jana pia mji wa Gau ulishuhudia ghasia na vitendo vya uporaji kufuatia mapigano hayo ya siku moja.

SOURCE: Waasi wa Tuareg waudhibiti kikamilifu mji wa Gau

 

[doctorz]

The Touregs who have invaded gao, timbuktu and kidal are not rebels. They are just trying to save themselves. Touregs have been fighting for their rights for a long time now. You should put your ideas into perspective. They have a reason to be agitated. If Toumani Toure leaves and Capt. Sanogo takes the country, all touregs will suffer. All peace agreement which were signed by Toumani Toure and Ibrahim Bahanga and Hassan ag Fagaga will not be honoured. And they will suffer.

They are just claiming what belongs to them. Nobody has the right to call this rebellion.

 

[MAMMAMIA]

The Touregs who have invaded gao, timbuktu and kidal are not rebels. They are just trying to save themselves. Touregs have been fighting for their rights for a long time now. You should put your ideas into perspective. They have a reason to be agitated. If Toumani Toure leaves and Capt. Sanogo takes the country, all touregs will suffer. All peace agreement which were signed by Toumani Toure and Ibrahim Bahanga and Hassan ag Fagaga will not be honoured. And they will suffer.

They are just claiming what belongs to them. Nobody has the right to call this rebellion.

Imekuwa adda kwa watu wanaonyanyaswa na kudai haki zao kuitwa "waasi". Usishangae karibuni hivi itasemwa ni tawi la al-Qaeda/al-Shabaab au "al-Vyovyote" vile ili wapate sababu "halali" ya kuwambaliza. Imesemwa, "Msi wake ana Mungu", Mungu atawasaidia pamoja na juhudi zao.