(Updated with CMA press release)
by Tiemoko Diallo
BAMAKO, September 13 (Reuters) – Clashes in Mali on Tuesday between the army and Tuareg rebels from the north of the country left dozens dead, according to both camps.
The Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), which brings together the main Tuareg rebel groups in the north of the country, announced on Tuesday that it had briefly taken control of a military camp in Bourem, 90 kilometers north of Gao.
The general staff of the Malian Armed Forces said ten of its soldiers were killed Tuesday while repelling an attack near Bourem, adding that 46 enemy fighters were killed during the operation.
In a press release, the CMA for its part put forward a toll of nine deaths in its ranks and 97 Malian soldiers killed, adding that it had attacked four army positions around Bourem and taken away vehicles, weapons and ammunition.
The general staff of the Malian Armed Forces did not mention the military camp or the CMA, but said in a statement that the situation near Bourem was under control and that the rebels had withdrawn towards the north. (With the contribution of Fadimata Kontao, written by Nellie Peyton and Alessandra Prentice; French version Camille Raynaud, edited by Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
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