Mali's Kidal town ruined by insecurity

Despite efforts being made to restore peace in the restive Northern Mali region, some cities remain inaccessible with insecurity being the order of the day.

A few stale is all that is left in the main bakery of Mali’s northern desert town of Kidal. The blockade is part of a bitter feud between rival Tuareg clans which is undermining attempts to implement a 2015 peace deal and stabilise northern Mali and, by extension, the Sahel.

The absence of a legitimate army in the north has left a gap allowing bands of Islamist militants to become increasingly fierce.

The peace accord signed by the Malian government and rebels ended years of fighting in the north, but its implementation has been piecemeal. The country is looking into holding another peace talk in the coming weeks.

Mali’s main Tuareg separatist factions said on Saturday they would boycott talks with the government next week on implementing a nearly 2-year-old peace accord that has been riven by quarreling.