Mauritanian president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz A coalition of the Mauritanian opposition groups warned against their country’s possible military intervention in the troubled region of north Mali in particularly Azawad, a region that has recently been taken under control of Islamist groups. Speaking at a conference organised Thursday by the Coordination of Democratic Opposition (COD), the leaders of the Mauritania’s opposition stressed that any military involvement might put Mauritania's relations with its southern neighbours at stake.
"We are totally against any kind of intervention in the interior affairs of our neighbours, particularly Mali. The crisis in Azawad has been too complicated recently... any foreign intervention there is expected only to worsen the situation, not just in Mali, but in the entire region," said Saleh Ould Hananah, Chairman of the Union and Change Party.
Mali’s leading opposition figure Mohammed Ould Dadi, urged the rival parties in Mali to sit together for a dialogue in order to reach a peaceful solution. He said that the Mauritanian opposition will be ready to give any help needed for such dialogue.
The COD conference was attended by representatives of the embassies of both Algeria and Mali, as well as several Mauritanian public figures.