Bamako - Mali gathered regional heads-of-state, government officials and armed groups on Friday for a largely ceremonial signing of a peace accord expected to go ahead without the main Tuareg-led rebel alliance.
The Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) initialled the document in Algiers on Thursday but has demanded concessions and says it will not attend Friday's ceremony in the Malian capital Bamako to rubber-stamp the deal.
The Algiers Accord aims to bring stability to the north, the cradle of several Tuareg uprisings since Mali gained independence in 1960, and more recently a stronghold for al-Qaeda-linked jihadists who have been regrouping since they were ousted by the French in 2013.
The international community has been increasing pressure on the CMA to get on board the peace process as a means of isolating the jihadists, particularly since an Islamist attack on March 7 in Bamako in which two Europeans died.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who chairs the African Union, arrived in Bamako on Friday morning and was followed by heads of government and state from across the region.
The ceremony -- which follows months of UN-backed negotiations -- is going ahead against the odds amid repeated recent violations of a ceasefire deal agreed between the army and various pro-government and rebel militias.
But it will be largely devoid of substance without the CMA, a coalition of five rebel groups which has called for further negotiations.
AFP
