In a new step towards achieving stability in the Azawad region of Mali, representatives of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM) held a meeting to bridge their differences and reach an agreement on several crucial issues.
During the meeting, the delegation loyal to the FLA, represented by the Azawad Scholars Commission affiliated with the Front, presented a document outlining the main points of their political project.
The document indicates the FLA’s acceptance of implementing Islamic law and rejecting secularism, while focusing on the interests of the Malian people from the south to the north, who suffer daily from crimes due to their affiliation with Islamic groups.
In turn, the FLA representatives asked the GSIM to renounce its allegiance to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
In response, the GSIM affirmed that its allegiance was not merely an organizational tie but a religious commitment that could only be relinquished under exceptional circumstances, such as the fall of the regime in Bamako and the establishment of alternative solutions for joint work for the country’s future.
According to informed sources cited by African Perspectives, the document drafted by the FLA received preliminary approval from the GSIM and is still under review.
The FLA also referred to the example of Syria, citing the experience of Abu Mohammad al-Julani, who had been linked to Al-Qaeda but renounced that allegiance in favor of the Syrian people and allied with local factions with political orientations.
Challenges to an Unlikely Alliance
Commenting on these developments, Abdallah Al-Karili, a journalist and writer specializing in jihadist groups, stated that some consider a merger between the FLA and the GSIM to be impossible. However, Al-Karili believes that the 2012 experience, which led to score-settling among Azawad movements, was the result of internal mistakes within Ansar Dine and elements of Al-Qaeda.
Furthermore, Al-Karili pointed to a recorded message from Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud, the emir of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, sent to the GSIM in Timbuktu. The message urged caution and advised leaving room for national fronts to take the lead. He added that these recommendations were concealed for unclear reasons, but they highlight the importance of patience and sound planning.
Al-Karili also mentioned that “the GSIM has learned from its mistakes during the 2012 experience, even though the fronts have not altered their regional vision.”
He noted as well that “the mutual influence between the GSIM and the fronts is evident, especially after the months that front leaders spent in the desert, facing disappointment far from their original perceptions.”
Hope for Peace in Mali
Observers hope that these negotiations will lead to tangible results that enable the parties involved to reach an agreement, ending the suffering of the Malian people and bringing stability to the region.
