23 rebel prisoners were freed in Mali yesterday as part of the June ceasefire deal aimed at restoring peace to the country, CEOAFRICA.com gathered.

Disclosing this, Justice Minister Ali Bathily said the government is optimistic that the release of the rebel would help to calm the situation.

“With the aim of bringing peace, we have released these prisoners. They will not be pursued for crimes against humanity or war crimes.” Bathily said.

Under the truce accord which was signed in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Malian government had freed 32 prisoners.

A French-led military operation launched in January killed hundreds of al-Qaida-linked fighters but allowed the MNLA to remain in the town of Kidal, saying their revolt was a domestic political issue. France now aims to wind down its troop presence to 1,000 by year-end.

Albert Koenders, head of the 12,600-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, urged both sides to return to the negotiating table.

“The liberation of this group of prisoners, it's an important step ... It should be followed, of course, by other measures to restore confidence and restart talks,” he said, calling for rebel forces to return to barracks and disarm.

Mohamed Ag Intallah, the Tuareg clan chieftain of Kidal who attended the ceremony, called on the new government of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to do more to honor its commitments under the Ouagadougou accord.

“This is a big step but much remains to be done because the most important prisoners are not the ones here,” he said. “I am waiting for the freeing of those people.”