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National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad

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National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
Mouvement National pour la Libération de l'Azawad
LeadersIbrahim Ag Bahanga
Moussa Ag Acharatoumane
Ag Mohamed Najem (head of military operations)
Bidal Ag Cherif (General Secretary)
Active regionsAzawad
IdeologySaharan nationalism
StatusActive
Opponents Mali
 Algeria
Battles and warsInsurgency in the Azawad (2012–)

National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad or MNLA (French: Mouvement National pour la Libération de l'Azawad) is a political and military organisation based in Malian Azawad. The movement is said to be made up of Tuaregs who had previously fought in the Libyan army,[1] though some Tuareg fighters were also on the side of the National Transitional Council, who returned after the 2011 Libyan civil war. The movement was founded in October 2011. The movement also includes other Saharan tribes peoples. The Malian government has accused the movement of having links to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,[2] similarly to other state reactions during the Arab Spring. However, MNLA deny the claims.

History

Further information: Tuareg rebellions

Since 1916 there have been at least five Tuareg rebellions. After the failure of the previous rebellion, Tuareg fighters left for Libya where they were integrated into the Libyan Army.[3] At the end of 2011, following the defeat of Muammar Gaddafi's government in Libya several Tuareg fighters from the Libyan Army returned to the Azawad regions of northern Mali.[4] The MNLA was said to have been formed after a fusion of such groups as the Northern Mali Tuareg Movement. An alleged influx of arms intended for rebels in Libya led to a huge cache in the largely ungoverned desert areas around where the Tuareg live and causing concern that much of the heavy weaponry remains unaccounted for and could be sold to the highest bidder.[5][6] Though some analysis has denied the connections to either AQIM or Gaddafi and the Libyan civil war, although the potency of this rebellion was still read as being influenced from weapons from Libya, as well as leftovers from previous rebellions in Azawad and even from Mali's army which were taken by defecting Arab and Tuareg personnel.[7]

The Tuareg groups were also said to have once been closely affiliated and controlled by the Département du Renseignement et de la Sécurité, Algeria's intelligence agency, but then chartered a more independent course.[citation needed]

They have also been accused by the government of Mali of cooperating with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,[8] however MNLA have denied this claim.[9]

The MNLA was founded in October 2011;[10] though it is sometimes considered to have been founded more than year earlier[11] in relation to other such groups. The MNLA have presented themselves as a movement for the liberation of all the peoples of Azawad (Songhoi, Arab, Peul and Tuareg).[7] [12]

The MNLA's fight is for their claim of Malian Azawad.

Independence fight

Main article: Insurgency in the Azawad (2012–)

MNLA launched its armed campaign in January 2012[13][14] to free three regions of Mali from the central government's control[6] and seeking the independence of Azawad.[15]

In January, its fighters attacked Andéramboukane, Menaka, Tessalit, Niafunke and Aguelhoc.[16] They were reported to be in control of parts of northern Mali, such as Menaka on 1 February.[17] During that time the movement was said to have opened a fifth front in the town of Lere.[18] At the end of January, they claimed to have shot down a Malian Air Force Mig-21 with the surface-to-air missiles acquired from NATO arms drops over Libya.[5] The Armed Forces of Mali have also used helicopter gunships to target the group.[11] On 4 February, the movement's fighters attacked government forces in Kidal with the aim of taking control of the town and occupying the two military bases there.[19] At the same time, following clashes in the north, Tuareg civilians were said to have left Bamako for fear of reprisals.[20] The International Committee of the Red Cross also said that 3,500 people had fled across the border to Mauritania and that 10,000 people had crossed into Niger during the clashes.[15] On 8 February, Tinzawaten was wrested from central government control after Malian troops took a "tactical withdrawal" following the death of one soldier and injuries to two other soldiers, amid calls by the United Nations for an halt to the offensive. One rebel was also killed and another was wounded, while the MNLA seized two military bases and the weapons storages there. The ICRC added that there were 30,000 internally displaced persons, while the UN said that over 20,000 people have fled to Burkina Faso, Algeria and Mauritania. The UN also warned of food shortages as a result of the fighting.[21] ECOWAS planned to send a team to investigate the violence.[22]

Leadership

One of the founding leaders is said to be Moussa Ag Acharatoumane.[18] Another influential leader in the group was Ibrahim Ag Bahanga (as well as his father-in-law Hama Ag Sid’Ahmed, who was also a spokesman for a group in the previous rebellion) from the 1990 and 2006 rebellions. After he was defeated and forced into exile in Libya, he was said to have met with other leaders of the 1990 rebellion who had taken up posts in a new unit of the Libyan army to fight desert warfare. Ibrahim sought to have a proficient force to fight against the Malian state and outside the media spotlight. However, he was killed on 26 August, 2011. One of the officers he had met in Libya was Colonel Ag Mohamed Najem,[7] who is said by the movement to be the head of its military wing.[11] He is of Malian origin but resigned from the Libyan Army shortly after the uprising to join the Tuareg rebellion in Mali.[6] There are said to be about 40 officers in the MNLA movement.[7] The General Secretary of the movement is Bidal Ag Cherif.[11] Hama Ag Sid'Ahmed is a spokesman for the movement, but is based somewhere in Europe.[15]

References

  1. ^ Vogl, Martin (31 January 2012). "Tuareg rebels attack 6th town in Mali". Google News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
  2. ^ "Mali government official says al-Qaida fighters among those attacking northern towns". washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. 27 january 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Daniel, Serge (17 January 2012). "Mali army bombs Tuareg rebels, four arrested: military". Google News. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
  4. ^ "Mali: 47 Die in Clashes Between Troops, Rebels - Ministry". allafrica.com. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
  5. ^ a b Oumar, Jemal; Ramzi, Walid (30 January 2012). "Loose Libyan missiles threaten air traffic". Magharebia. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
  6. ^ a b c Stewart, Scott (2 February 2012). "Returning Malian Mercenaries Present a Challenge for Mali and the West". The Cutting Edge News. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
  7. ^ a b c d Morgan, Andy (6 February 2012). "The Causes of the Uprising in Northern Mali". Think Africa Press. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  8. ^ "Mali government official says al-Qaida fighters among those attacking northern towns". The Washington Post. 27 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
  9. ^ "Mali says rebels fight with Qaeda, rebels deny". Reuters Africa. Reuters. 27 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
  10. ^ Vogl, Martin (26 January 2012). "In Mali, a Tuareg rebellion _ without Gadhafi". Google News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
  11. ^ a b c d "Mali: Fighting In North; The New Touareg War". Eurasia Review. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  12. ^ "They are not mercenaries". mnlamov.net. 22 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  13. ^ "JTIC Brief: MNLA re-awakens Tuareg separatism in Mali". Jane's Information Group. 2 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
  14. ^ "Dozens of Tuareg rebels dead in Mali clash, says army". BBC. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
  15. ^ a b c Diallo, Tiemoko; Diarra, Adama (4 February 2012). "Mali says 20 rebels killed, thousands flee". Reuters. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
  16. ^ Stewart, Scott (2 February 2012). "Mali Besieged by Fighters Fleeing Libya". Stratfor. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
  17. ^ "Tuareg rebels take Mali town after army pullout". Google News. Agence France-Presse. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
  18. ^ a b "Tuareg rebels attack fifth town in Mali". Al Jazeera. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
  19. ^ "Heavy weapons fire rocks town in Mali's north". Reuters Africa. Reuters. 4 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
  20. ^ "UPDATE 1-Mali capital paralysed by anti-rebellion protests". Reuters Africa. Reuters. 2 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
  21. ^ "UPDATE 1-Malian rebels seize key border town, civilians flee". Reuters. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  22. ^ Clottey, Peter (8 February 2012). "ECOWAS Team to Investigate Fighting in Mali". Voice of America. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
Leader interviews
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