Mali president acknowledges contacts with jihadistsMalian President Ibrahim Boubacar for the first time said his government had been in contact with jihadist rebels (file picture)BAMAKO - Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has for the first time acknowledged contacts with jihadist insurgents, an option the government has long rejected. Mali has struggled to contain a jihadist revolt that broke out in the country in 2012, claiming thousands of military and civilian lives since. In the interview, Keita appeared to have changed course on past refusals to engage jihadists. "He is my high representative, so his job is to listen to everybody," the president said. A 2017 national conference gathering Keita's party and opposition parties urged holding direct talks with jihadists as a way to solve the crisis in Mali.

Source: Bangkok Post February 10, 2020 17:48 UTC