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REBELLION: AL-JEBHA 273gration in civil society of former rebels. The fund to alleviate the victims’ needsremained a dead letter.IV: Decreasing deployment and withdrawal to a limited number of northerntowns by the Malian Armed ForcesAfter the signing of the National Pact, the Malian Armed Forces did indeedwithdraw from a number of towns and barracks in the North, concentrating onGao, Ménaka, Kidal, Tessalit, Ansongo, Bourem and Timbuktu, which meantthat the Adagh, Azawad and Niger Bend were left to the control of the rebelforces. Security would be provided by so-called mixed patrols of integratedrebels and army soldiers (infra). To be sure, army patrols still ventured out oftheir barracks and retaliation on civilians after rebel attacks or ‘acts of banditry’did not end. Although they were stationed in a smaller number of barracks,troop strength in the North only increased.V: The creation of structures to secure the gradual return of refugees after theend of the conflictIn response to the National Pact clause on refugee repatriation, the UNHCRreleased a budget of 3,500,000 US dollars. The various NGOs concerned withaid to the refugees set up a programme to facilitate repatriation. A series ofgranaries intended to feed the returnees was set up in the North. Eventually thegrain was used to feed internally displaced Malians as the refugees refused toreturn. Despite the signing of the National Pact, the fighting and executions hadnot ended as the hardliner movement FPLA did not respect the National Pact,and neither did the Army. 34VI: Integration of former rebels in the Malian Armed Forces andadministrationIn the years following the signing of the National Pact until the final peace in1996, the integration of former rebels in the Malian state was the main issue andthe main bone of contention for all parties involved. Originally, the MFUAdemanded that all former rebels be integrated within the Malian Armed Forcesand administration. The demand of the MFUA to integrate 3,600 men outragedthe Malian public and Government. The various movements also stronglydisagreed on how many rebels should be integrated from which movement,which even contributed to the creation of new movements, such as the FULAand FNLA. On 11 February 1993, the Malian Armed Forces finally integrated atotal of 640 rebels, who were deployed together with regular army soldiers inthree so-called ‘mixed patrols’ under the command of Algerian officers. Res-34Poulton, R. & I. ag Youssouf 1998: 65.