The leader of the Islamist militant group Ansar Dine has agreed to cease attacks in Mali. Al Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine and other Islamist groups hijacked a Tuareg rebel uprising in 2012 to seize Mali’s desert north, but they were pushed out by a French-led military operation a year later. However, they have intensified operations this year, attacking parts of the west and south previously considered secure and raising fears that the violence will spill over into other regions. “I confirm having received from (Ansar Dine leader) Iyad Ag Ghali the cessation of hostilities throughout the country,” Mahmoud Dicko, president of the High Islamic Council, told Reuters, adding that he would soon brief Malian authorities.
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