MALIAN troops entered the rebel-held northeastern town of Kidal on Friday, the army said, to secure it for a presidential election due across the west African country on July 28.
"As I speak, our army is entering Kidal. This is a peaceful, coordinated arrival -- everything is going well. There are more than 150 Malian soldiers," military spokesman Souleymane Maiga told AFP.
Kidal, a town prized by the Tuaregs, has been occupied by the separatist National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) since the end of January.
But the rebels agreed as part of a ceasefire accord signed with the government in neighbouring Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou last month to allow troops into the town ahead of the polls.
"The location of the rebel camp is known. We expect them to respect the agreements signed," Maiga said.
The Guardian