BAMAKO, Mali, July 30 (UPI) -- All Malians should come together to find a solution to the crisis gripping the northern part of the country, the interim president said.
A military coup toppled the democratically elected government in Mali early this year. Ansar Dine, a military group said to be aligned with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, had fought alongside Tuareg rebels in northern Mali.
Interim President Dioncounda Traore in a national address said it was time for unified stance to address the crises in the country.
"Given the complexity of this crisis and the extent of the distress of our people from the north ... we must together, I say together, clear the path ahead to free our country from these invaders, who only leave desolation, deprivation and pain in their wake," he was quoted by the BBC as saying.
Tuareg rebels had fought alongside pro-government forces during last year's civil war in Libya.
Traore's address was his first since returning from Paris where he was treated for injuries suffered during a May attack by demonstrators who viewed him as a member of the political class uprooted by a military coup.
The attack on Traore came on the day his tenure was to expire. He had recently struck a deal with coup leader Capt. Amadou Sanogo to stay in office another year.
