Armed groups that signed a landmark peace accord in insurgency-hit Mali have alleged widespread fraud during voting in a weekend referendum for a new constitution. The CSP, which is holding out against advancing jihadists, opposed the constitutional reform, and armed groups prevented the vote from taking place in numerous places in the north. “In virtually all regions,” in the north “no voting took place,” the CSP posted on social networks Thursday. The junta last Friday called for an immediate departure of the near 15,000-strong force, following months of sporadic demonstrations calling for them to leave. The landlocked Sahel state has been battling a security crisis since jihadist and separatist insurgencies broke out in the north in 2012.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 22, 2023 18:46 UTC