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| Mali lifts state of emergency ahead of presidential vote | Mali lifts state of emergency ahead of presidential vote |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Mali has lifted a state of emergency in place since January, when France intervened to help drive out Islamists occupying the north, officials say. | Mali has lifted a state of emergency in place since January, when France intervened to help drive out Islamists occupying the north, officials say. |
| The move comes after Mali's army re-entered the key town of Kidal, held by Tuareg rebels, to improve security ahead of the presidential election. | The move comes after Mali's army re-entered the key town of Kidal, held by Tuareg rebels, to improve security ahead of the presidential election. |
| Rebels agreed to allow troops into the northern town as part of a peace deal. | Rebels agreed to allow troops into the northern town as part of a peace deal. |
| The election on 28 July will be the first in Mali since the military staged a coup in 2012. | The election on 28 July will be the first in Mali since the military staged a coup in 2012. |
| The occupation of Kidal had been a major obstacle to organising the presidential election. | The occupation of Kidal had been a major obstacle to organising the presidential election. |
| Tuareg rebels captured the town after the French-led offensive forced militant Islamists out of northern Mali in February. | Tuareg rebels captured the town after the French-led offensive forced militant Islamists out of northern Mali in February. |
| The Tuaregs have been fighting for autonomy in the north since Mali gained independence from France in 1960. | The Tuaregs have been fighting for autonomy in the north since Mali gained independence from France in 1960. |
| They say they are marginalised by the government in the capital, Bamako. | They say they are marginalised by the government in the capital, Bamako. |
| The main Tuareg rebel group, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), had worked with Islamist groups to seize the north of the country in 2012. | |
| But the rebel movement later broke with the Islamist groups and backed French efforts to oust them. | |
| In June, the Malian government signed a peace deal with the MNLA, calling for an immediate ceasefire and for government troops to return to Kidal. | |
| The MNLA has watered down its demand for independence, saying it will settle, as a first step, for autonomy for the desert region where they live. | |
| Mali crisis: Key players | |
| Turning Mali’s army into a fighting force |