In brief: Senegal president concedes defeat

DAKAR, Senegal – President Abdoulaye Wade conceded defeat to his former protégé Macky Sall late Sunday, congratulating him several hours after polls closed when preliminary results showed the opposition candidate had trounced the 85-year-old incumbent.

Wade called Sall around 9:30 p.m. Sunday to congratulate him on his victory, state television reported. The move alleviated fears that Wade would attempt to stay in office after 12 years or would challenge the runoff results.

Even before Wade conceded, Sall’s supporters began celebrating in the streets of the capital, singing and marching through downtown Dakar. Sociologist Hadiya Tandian said that Wade’s concession washes away the wounds of a violent election season, which left at least six people dead and tarnished the country’s reputation.

Rebels, army talk in northern Mali

NIAMEY, Niger – Rebels taking advantage of a coup are negotiating with soldiers for a peaceful resolution in Mali’s strategic northern garrison town of Kidal, according to representatives of the Sahara’s nomadic Tuareg people.

Sources in Mali and neighboring Niger said today the rebels hope to take Kidal without a fight.

Kidal would be a major prize for the rebels, who relaunched their decades-old fight in mid-January, led by battle-hardened officers and troops who fought for Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi and returned home heavily armed. Kidal is one of two major northern towns that failed to fall in two previous Tuareg rebellions in the 1990s and 2000s.

It’s not known how many civilians remain in the town of about 26,000 where soldiers are living with their families.

The rebels have profited from the disarray in Mali’s military command following Wednesday’s coup by soldiers led by a middle-ranking U.S.-trained officer. Coup leader Capt. Amadou Sanogo has said he wants to negotiate with the rebels, but he also has promised to give the army what it needs to halt the insurgency.