OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Mali signed a ceasefire deal with Tuareg separatist rebels on Tuesday, paving the way for government troops to return to the northern, rebel-held town of Kidal before a presidential election next month.
At the heart of a region plagued by poverty and Islamic militancy, Mali won a 3.25 billion euros (2.7 billion pounds) Western aid package last month aimed at shoring up democracy and helping it recover from a coup and an al Qaeda insurgency.
