20120205
AFP
The Mali army said it had killed some 20 Tuareg rebels on Friday and Saturday in the northern city of Timbuktu and taken a dozen prisoners.

"On February 3 and 4 during an operation against assailant groups in the Timbuktu region, some 20 assailants were killed," the army said in a statement released by the government.

As well as taking prisoners, the troops also "seized a sizeable arms cache," the statement added, stressing government forces had suffered no losses.

The Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA) and other Tuareg rebels launched a fresh offensive in northern Mali on January 17.

The offensive is the largest since 2009 by Tuareg rebels, whose ranks have been boosted by the recent return of men who fought in Libya for toppled late leader Moamer Kadhafi.

A nomadic community of some 1.5 million people, Tuareg of various tribes are scattered between Algeria, Burkina Faso, Libya, Niger and Mali.

Mali and Niger experienced uprisings as the Tuareg fought for recognition of their identity and an independent state in the 1960s, 1990s and early 2000 with a resurgence between 2006 and 2009.

The return of the rebels has added to northern Mali's woes as the region battles Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) which has carried out many attacks on troops, kidnappings of Westerners and various trafficking operations, including drugs.

Many towns have been attacked, leading to an exodus of at least 10,000 people from the largely desert region who have sought refuge in camps, in Mali, Niger and Mauritania.

Wives and families of soldiers have condemned the "softness of government" toward the Tuareg offensive which has seen the rebels, demanding greater autonomy for their desert tribe, attack several northern towns.

Protests turned violent on Thursday in Bamako, Segou in the centre of the country and Kati, prompting calls from Washington for renewed peace talks.

The conflict also increased tensions between the different ethnic communities in the country.

Tuareg homes and properties were vandalised and angry protesters also targeted their anger at other light-skinned communities such as the Arabs or Mauritanians.