Tuareg rebels in Niger 'ready for peace talks'

A group of Tuareg rebels in Niger is "ready to start a peace process" in the country under Libyan mediation, its leader told a news conference in Tripoli.

The Niger Patriotic Front, FPN, created by a split within the Movement of Niger People for Justice (MNJ), declared its "availability" and its "commitment" to the implementation of a peace process in Niger.

In a statement read out by FPN leader Aklu Sidisidi, the group said it has held discussions with Libya "with the aim of creating a chance for the start of a peace dynamic in Niger."

The discussions led to the drawing up of a framework agreement setting out the conditions for a return to a lasting peace in Niger and a detailed plan for implementation, from an immediate ceasefire to the official ceremony of handing over weapons, the statement said.

The FPN deplored the "war situation" in the north of Niger, stating that the peoples of the region "yearn more than ever for a return to peace and security and the renewal of social and economic development."

On a visit to Niamey in early March, Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi negotiated the release of five Niger soldiers and a gendarme who had been held by the MNJ. afg-ila/anw/srm