Many tuareg fighters have returned to mali since the fall of their patron, gaddafi, bringing battle experience and weapons with them. The vote followed some 16 months of political and social chaos that included a rebellion in the north, a military coup and an islamist uprising that provoked a french military response. In the 1990s there is a more dramatic internal conflict with the nomadic tuareg in the north of the country. Muammar elqaddafi, hundreds of tuareg rebels helped themselves to some of his weapons and returned to mali to continue a longstanding rebellion. Jul 15, 2014 in 2012, a tuareg rebellion in northern mali triggered a military coup in bamako and an islamist takeover of the north. The world factbook countrylocation photo gallery modal. Mali tuareg rebels declare independence in the north bbc. The tuareg rebellion is undoubtedly the taste of water that broke the camel. When the french attempted to colonize the maghreb in the early 1900s through border enforcement and migration restrictions, the tuareg sparked a failed anticolonial rebellion. Africa mali the world factbook central intelligence. Tuareg society was a strict caste system that place wealthy herdsmen at the top, and black slaves at the bottom. From 1990 to 1995, a rebellion by various tuareg groups took place in niger and mali, with the aim of achieving autonomy or forming their own nationstate. Understanding malis tuareg problem bridges from bamako.
The tuareg rebellion against the government of mali 19901995 was primarily motivated by the economic and political marginalization of malis northern azawad region. Apr 16, 2018 the music of mali s tuareg people is music of resistance. The tahoua tuareg of mali belong to a larger group of berberspeaking tuareg who live in an area that stretches from the western sahara to western sudan. Since then, malis army has been humiliated as the country now faces a real. The tuareg are the nomadic inhabitants of north africa, no one knows when the tuareg arrived in africas sahara. Following mali s independence in 1960, the tuareg started a protest against the new government, accusing it of discrimination against their wandering lifestyle. The tuareg are a people that have lived in northern mali as early as the fifth century bce 1 according to herodotus.
The government of mali is panicked, despite enjoying the overwhelming support of nontuareg malians and a limited number of tuaregs as well. The tuareg have been at the center of rebellion in mali since colonization. Malis tuareg rebels declare independence mali the guardian. Apr 02, 2012 the first tuareg rebellion in mali peaked in 1963, shortly after mali gained independence from france.
The tuareg traditionally isolated themselves from other peoples in mali. President amadou toumani toures first prime minister 20022004, and two ministers in malis current government, are among the many tuareg officials. Many tuaregs felt that this new country was nothing better than a new colonizer, controlling. Mar 22, 2012 the return of an estimated 2,500 wellarmed tuareg fighters from libya to mali has led to a new rebellion. London, united kingdom march 17 marked two months since the first shots were fired in mali s latest tuareg rebellion. Since then, mali s army has been humiliated as the country now faces a real possibility of territorial division. The history of national and intercommunity violence in mali has accompanied the postcolonial statebuilding process. The recent rebellion in mali which began on january 17, 20121 and led to the total collapse of the northern parts of mali and the eventual internationalization of the conflicts in the country has a long history.
Apr 06, 2012 mali s tuareg rebels declare independence this article is more than 8 years old tuareg rebels seize control of remote northern region of azawad amid chaos surrounding overthrow of mali s president. In the 1990s, during the second tuareg rebellion, a songhay selfdefence militia, the ganda koy masters of the land, was created to protect sedentary populations against bandits and lighterskinned nomads primarily tuareg and arabs, commonly referred to as the whites. This article stresses the importance of history in understanding the cyclical pattern of tuareg rebellions in mali. Mali has already experienced major tuareg rebellions in 196264, 199095 and 20072009. Warfare between mali forces and tuareg rebels, beginning in 1991, results in an exodus of some 120,000 tuareg refugees to camps in algeria, burkina faso, mauritania and niger where a similar confrontation with the government is taking place at the same period. This independence was swept away when the french colonized mali when they defeated the tuareg at timbuktu and established borders and administrative districts to rule the area until mali declared independence in 1960. In general, the sahara is very fertile ground for conspiracy theories as its so hard to verify anything that goes on there. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the tuaregs and the 2012 rebellion in mali. The tuareg rebellion in mali the freedom fighter blog. Mali tuareg rebels declare independence in the north bbc news.
After establishing the city of timbuktu in the 11 th century, the tuareg traded, traveled, and conquered throughout saharan over the next four centuries, eventually converting to islam in the 14 th century, which allowed them to gain great. Tuareg rebellion in mali 19621964with independece from france, and with the borders of northwestern african nations drawn by france to create artifical boundaries that separated large ethnic groups among several nations, conflict between tuareg berbers in the north and the black dominated government of newlyindependent mali was inevitable. Apr 06, 2012 the coup and tuareg rebellion have exacerbated a humanitarian crisis in mali and some neighbouring countries, with aid agencies warning that million people need food aid following a drought in. May 11, 20 in northern mali, french soldiers defy the heat to seek out rebel weapons focus 070220 duration.
Afropop worldwide is now planning a return trip to maliour first in nearly 10 yearsto look for answers on the ground. The cia world factbook estimates that the tuareg and moor account for 10 percent of malis population. Mali and tuareg rebels swap prisoners ahead peace talks. Malian returnees from libya in 2011 exacerbated tensions in northern mali, and tuareg ethnic militias rebelled in january 2012.
If mali is shaped somewhat like a butterfly, the rebels now claim to control its entire vast northern. Even people who know a lot about al qaeda are convinced that al qaeda in islamic maghreb is a creation of the algerian secret services. The war in northern mali january 2012 through 20 azawad tuareg rebellion 20122by wigiz, 3 april 2012. This book deals with political changes and internal debates about political. Malis tuareg rebels declare independence this article is more than 8 years old tuareg rebels seize control of remote northern region of azawad amid chaos surrounding overthrow of. This was an effort to achieve a state of their own but they never had sufficient forces to secure this. Tuareg rebels who swept across the deserts of northern mali in the aftermath of a coup in the countrys capital have. While tuareg rebel groups were first supported by ansar dine in their military takeover of northern cities, the mnla progressively became the enemy of iyad ag ghalis new coalition. The roots of malis conflict cru report, march 2015 inclusive peace talks and agreements far harder to reach. When ag ghali was denied the leadership of the mnla in 2011, he decided to create ansar dine, an organisation whose purpose is to implement sharia law across mali. The tuareg rebellion has been so successful that it prompted a coup detat by military officers desperate to stop it.
Moussa diarra, malian cultural actor the tuareg rebellion is undoubtedly the taste of water that broke the camel. Feb 03, 20 the second rebellion was sparked due to attacks on nontuareg malians at the southernmost edge of the tuareg regions which led to skirmishes between the malian army and tuareg rebels. The insurgency occurred in a period following the regional famine of the 1980s and subsequent refugee crisis, and a time of generalised political repression and crisis in both nations. The tuareg rebellion of 2012 was an early stage of the northern mali conflict. Boilley said gaddafi provided political support at a regional level for the tuareg rebellion in the. London, united kingdom march 17 marked two months since the first shots were fired in malis latest tuareg rebellion. For malis tuareg, music speaks of suffering and the sahara. Following the tuareg rebellion of the early 1990s, thousands of tuareg fighters were integrated into the malian army, and tuareg leaders have long held prominent roles in the malian state. The book of lieutenant colonel kalifa keita, army of the republic of mali, gives insights on the previous conflicts that happened in mali. In 1996 the flame of peace ceremony in timbuktuwhich saw the symbolic incineration of 3,000 small armsand the demobilization of some 12,000 excombatants formally marked the end of the 199096 tuaregarab rebellion. Libya provides the textbook example of a united front organising an intervention. Civilian rule was reestablished in 20, but islamist and separatist forces.
In 2012, a tuareg rebellion in northern mali triggered a military coup in. The tuareg rebellion of 20072009 was an insurgency that began in february 2007 amongst elements of the tuareg people living in the sahara desert regions of northern mali and niger. May 16, 2018 the tuareg rebellion took place between 1990 and 1995, and it was an uprising by several tuareg groups in mali and niger. The commissarat au nord, which was responsible for northern mali and issues affecting the tuareg rebellion, has been replaced by a ministry for arid and semiarid zones. The tuaregs and the 2012 rebellion in mali kindle edition by gamawa, yusuf ibrahim. Africa mali the world factbook central intelligence agency. Mali rebels declare independence in north as fears grow. The most striking attribute of the tuareg is the indigo veil, giving rise to the name the blue men of the sahara. Recently cited as a model of democracy in subsaharan africa, mali today is experiencing one of the most serious security, political, social and institutional crises of its history text. Tuaregs use qaddafis arms for rebellion in mali the new. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Yet, the sahel droughts of the 1970s and 1980s played an important part in laying the foundations for the violence. The fact that the tuareg rebellion of 2006, led by ag ghali, benefited from aqim support further questions the nature of his relationship with the terrorist group. Disputed desert decolonization, competing nationalisms and. Tuareg slave raids are part of the bitter history of mali, and the tension between the tuareg and the peoples they once fought are not easily forgotten. A very short while back, in 2012, in fact, the rebellion in the north came within a whisker of seizing mali. Between 1961 and 1964 it was a reaction to the mali government land reforms infringing upon traditional tuareg areas.
The conflict is deeply rooted in the dissatisfaction of the tuareg with the malian state, a disaffection which had built. Mali and tuareg rebels swap prisoners ahead peace talks bbc. Jun 27, 2017 as this book goes to print, the bbc is reporting an attack on a luxury tourist resort in mali by tuareg and islamists militants. The niger river forms the backbone of the country and it essentially splits the country in two. Soon after the emergence of ansar dine in northern mali, the nature of the rebellion changed and the mnla began to lose its influence. In northern mali, french soldiers defy the heat to seek out rebel weapons focus 070220 duration. Its notoriously difficult to count nomads, so we cannot know precisely how many tuareg live in mali, or anywhere for that matter. Indeed, tuareg, arab, songhay or fulani northern people all have different political agendas, and do not share the same culture, political history, languages or traditions. Following malis independence in 1960, the tuareg started a protest against the new government, accusing it of discrimination against their wandering lifestyle. For malis tuareg, music speaks of suffering and the. The european union currently runs an assisting and training mission for the fama eutm mali. It was led by the national movement for the liberation of azawad mnla and was part of a.
Rights group amnesty says rebels fight for autonomy has created malis worst humanitarian disaster in 20 years. The return of an estimated 2,500 wellarmed tuareg fighters from libya to mali has led to a new rebellion. This was the fourth tuareg revolt since independence from france in 1960. It is one of a series of insurgencies by formerly nomadic tuareg populations, which had last appeared in the mid1990s, and date back at least to 1916.
For the one part, they contributed to the migration of many young tuaregs to libya, where they received. Master traders of the sahara desert for millenia, theyve never enjoyed significant political power, and their musical culture reflects. It is headed by tiebite drame who served as foreign minister in the 199192 transitional government. Jul 02, 2012 recently cited as a model of democracy in subsaharan africa, mali today is experiencing one of the most serious security, political, social and institutional crises of its history. Between 1990 and 1995 the tuareg in niger sought autonomy from the government, ending in a peace deal which promised them a bigger share of the. Since then, malis army has been humiliated as the country now faces a real possibility of territorial division. Mar 27, 2012 so many malians see the tuareg rebellion as being engineered by the french. Jun 29, 2012 the tuareg revolt and the mali coup hearing before the subcommittee on africa, global health, and human rights of the committee on foreign affairs house of representatives one hundred twelfth congress second session june 29, 2012 serial no. Tuareg rebellion in mali 19901995 ecc factbook ecc library. Mali tuareg rebels declare independence in the north. The tuareg wanted to become independent or to be able to form their state. Tuareg rebellion sparks crisis in mali news al jazeera. As this book goes to print, the bbc is reporting an attack on a luxury tourist resort in mali by tuareg and islamists militants. Kaplan wrote about all this in his 2007 book hog pilots.
The ongoing conflict in northern mali is rooted in the countrys geography and its history. Rights group amnesty says rebels fight for autonomy has created mali s worst humanitarian disaster in 20 years. Between 1916 and 1917 the tuareg rebellion was a reaction to french colonialism. Mar 28, 2012 the tuareg rebellion has been so successful that it prompted a coup detat by military officers desperate to stop it, ending 20 years of democracy in mali. June 27, 1990, is a significant date in the recent history of mali. The first tuareg rebellion took place in 1963 as the nomadic minority felt. And it was in beginning to plan for that trip that i finally read a book that offers by far the clearest and most thorough account of the situation in mali i have seen. Statesociety relationship rebellions political history. From the rebellion of autonomy to rebellion of secession 1adebayo e. The tuareg rebellion took place between 1990 and 1995, and it was an uprising by several tuareg groups in mali and niger. The music of malis tuareg people is music of resistance.
The malian armed forces reform and the future of eutm. So many malians see the tuareg rebellion as being engineered by the french. The mess in mali a coup overthrew malis democratically elected leader, while tuareg rebels in north have declared independence of a new. The diversity of the malian population has been used as a divide. The president of mali, amadou toumani toure, was deposed on 22 march 2012 in a coup in the capital, bamako, by soldiers angry at his handling of the tuareg rebellion in the north. This book deals with the relation between the malian state and the tuareg people in the late 20th century, which has been characterized by three violent. The uprising occurred after a period of regional famine and during a period of political oppression in both countries. The rebellion in northern mali dates back to the countrys independence. The malian government and most of its citizens believe that preserving their multiethnic, territorially vast, democratic country is in the best interest of everyone. Lieutenant colonel kalifa entered commissioned service in 1975, serving for most of his career in armor leadership positions. Since the fourth tuareg rebellion in january 2012, followed by a military coup in march of the same year against the democratically elected government of mali, the malian state and the greater.
Since 1963, rebellions and other security crises have challenged malian unity and the legitimacy of bamako policy in administrating the national territory. With the power of the mali empire waning in the first half of the 15th century, timbuktu became relatively autonomous, although maghsharan tuareg had a dominating position. Apr 09, 20 the ongoing conflict in northern mali is rooted in the countrys geography and its history. A tuareg man, once a great rebel soldier, now a refugee in burkina faso, tells his story. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system. Tuareg nationalism and cyclical pattern of rebellions sites. The tuareg are divided into several main political groups or tribal units.