Malian minister takes President IBK's peace message to restive town of Kidal

Mali's Minister for National Reconciliation and Development of Northern regions Cheick Oumar Diarrah is in the northern town of Kidal to deliver President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's (IBK) peace message to post-war residents. Diarrah arrived in the restive town on Sunday accompanied by his colleagues Moussa Sinko Coulibaly and Sada Samake, respectively the ministers for territorial administration and internal security. "We are here in Kidal at the instructions of the president of the republic to urge the local population and traditional leaders to start discussing ways and means of finding a lasting solution to the Malian crisis," Diarrah said. "We discussed the problems that the region is confronted with and I informed our hosts about the government's desire to fully resolve the crisis, the national reconciliation and development of northern regions," the minister added. Despite the good-will mission, some of the residents expressed displeasure with the presence of the governmental team. The government is scrambling with the restoration of control over Kidal, the stronghold of Tuareg rebels seeking independence. Although the two sides signed a truce months after other rebel groups were routed by Mali's allies, clashes have been occasionally reported in resistance against the comeback of the army, which fled to the south amid rebel advances in the aftermath of a coup on March 22, 2012.