Tuareg rebels in Niger deny holding Malian soldiers
BAMAKO (AFP) — Niger's Tuareg rebels on Tuesday denied holding Malian soldiers taken hostage last week by another Tuareg group in Mali, disputing an account given by a Western military source.
"We are not holding any Malian military prisoners - it's completely untrue," Movement of Niger People for Justice (MNJ) chief Agaly Alambo told AFP by satellite phone.
A Western military source in Bamako said that some 20 hostages had been moved across the border to Niger where they were being guarded by MNJ rebels. A diplomatic source in Bamako provided similar information.
The men count among some 29 wounded Malian troops who were abducted in northern Mali on Friday, following clashes between the army and the rebels in the mountainous Tinzaouatene region.
"Those who want to check we don't have Malian prisoners can easily do so," the MNJ chief said, adding that his group holds about 10 prisoners, all of them Niger military personnel according to him.
Teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Malian Red Cross worked Tuesday to arrange visits with the hostages.
"We are doing our best to go to visit as soon as possible," said Juan Coderque, head of the ICRC's regional delegation based in Dakar. "We hope that all the parties cooperate."
Since Friday's attack, the Malian government has reinforced troops in the restive north of the country.
On Monday, Bamako said bands of Tuaregs from neighbouring countries had supported the Malian rebels, commanded by Ibrahim Ag Bahanga, in last week's attacks.
Ag Bahanga's group, "supported by other Tuareg bands from countries neighboring Mali, attacked military supply convoys and planted mines," Mali's Foreign Minister Moctar Ouane said.
A nomadic people who have roamed the southern Sahara for centuries, Tuaregs have staged uprisings over the years both in Mali and Niger claiming autonomy for their traditional homeland.
After an uprising in May 2006, many of Mali's Tuaregs cut a deal with the government the following July, with Algerian help and in exchange for aid to develop their territory.
But Ag Bahanga has refused to go along with the peace deal agreed by the majority of former rebels from the Tuareg tribes, and the Malian government believes his group is cooperating with Niger-based militants to launch attacks.
In Niger, Tuareg rebels want a share in the country's revenue from uranium.
