Malians divided on response to surge in deadly violence

After recent deadly attacks in northern Mali, some people in Bamako say the government should consider restarting or increasing dialogue with armed groups.

There's been a resurgence of deadly violence in Mali's north in recent weeks inolving attacks by Islamist militants on civilians and security forces.

".... We're all Malians, so it would be better to talk to each other and come back to the negotiating table. It's better than fighting. Neither side has anything to gain. So it would be bettER if we came back to the negotiating table," said Souleymane Camara, shopkeeper.

But Abdoulaye Kouyaté, another shopkeeper says dialogue will not help Mali reclaim its territory.

"If you want peace, prepare for war. If they declare war on Mali, there's no problem. We're ready to confront them, that's normal. We'll never be able to liberate the North without war, and after the war we'll negotiate, because we'll all know each other's weight. There will surely be casualties on both sides, but that's really part of reclaiming the territory. War is necessary in this case," he asserted.

The surge in violence comes UN peacekeeping forces vacate their bases ahead of their full withdrawal at the end of the year.  Armed groups from northern Mali on Tuesday claimed they captured the key town of Bourem, between Gao and Timbuktu, before pulling out, fuelling fears of the collapse of a peace deal between the ex-rebels and government forces.

A senior army official said troops had regained control of its positions in Bourem with the help of air support.