Adjlal clashes

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Adjlal clashes
Part of Mali War
Date9–10 August 2016
Location
Adjlal, Kidal Region, Mali
Result Indecisive
Belligerents
GATIA flag.svg GATIA

CMADrapeau.JPG Coordination of Azawad Movements

Casualties and losses
1 killed
10 injured
7 killed
32 injured
5 captured

On 10 August 2016, clashes broke out between pro-government GATIA militiamen against Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) aligned groups near Adjlal, Kidal Region, Mali.

Contents

Background

The city of Kidal came under Malian government control with the help of allied militias in May 2014, during the initial stages of the 2012 Tuareg rebellion. These allied militias were composed of Imghad Tuaregs, considered a vassal clan of Tuareg by northern Ifoghas Tuaregs (which inhabited Kidal). [1] During the Algiers Agreement in 2014, the Malian government brokered a ceasefire with a coalition of anti-government rebels, the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), allowing them to remain in control of Kidal. In 2015, GATIA signed a ceasefire with the CMA, announcing an end of hostilities between the two. [2]

GATIA troops led by El Hadj Ag Gamou entered Kidal in early 2016, sparking a battle with CMA forces in July that pushed out GATIA from the city. [3] Despite GATIA retreating, clashes broke out around Touzik a week later. [4]

Battle

Fighting broke out between the CMA and GATIA around 5pm on 9 August 2016, near Adjlal (also spelled Edjarer) despite a ceasefire agreed a week prior between the two groups. [5] Both GATIA and the High Council for the Unity of Azawad, a member of the CMA, blamed each other for restarting the fighting. [6] During a lull in fighting during the night, the CMA sent reinforcements. Clashes restarted on 10 August and ended later that day. [7]

Aftermath

GATIA claimed the deaths of thirty-nine CMA fighters and the injuries of thirty-four others. They also claimed five deaths of GATIA fighters and twenty-four injuries, three of which were serious. [8]

A United Nations report concluded that seven CMA fighters were killed, thirty-two were injured, and five were kidnapped by GATIA. One GATIA fighter was killed and ten others were injured. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad</span> Militant group in Northern Mali (2011–present)

The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad or the Azawad National Liberation Movement, formerly the National Movement of Azawad, is a political and military organization based in Azawad in northern Mali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Gao</span> Battle between MNLA and MOJWA in Gao, Mali

The Battle of Gao was fought between the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and the Islamist Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA), along with its ally Ansar Dine, in Gao between 26–28 June 2012. By the 28 June, Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal, the three biggest cities in the disputed secessionist region of Azawad within what is recognised as Malian territory, were under the control of Ansar Dine and its Islamist allies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies</span> Pro-government armed group in Mali

The Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies is an armed group in Azawad, Mali. Most of its 500 to 1,000 fighters are Imghad Tuaregs, and the group supports the Malian government.

The Battle of Andéramboukane occurred between 4 and 5 June 2022, during the Ménaka offensive of the Mali War. The pro-government militias Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) and Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies (GATIA) attempted to retake the Islamic State-held town of Andéramboukane but were unsuccessful.

The Ménaka offensive was a series of offensives launched by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara against the Malian Army, Tuareg self-defense groups including the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) and Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies (GATIA), and the al-Qaeda-aligned Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin. The offensives took place in the Ménaka Cercle, in southeastern Mali.

Hassan Ag Fagaga, born around 1959 or 1966, in Kidal, Mali is a former Malian soldier and a Tuareg rebel.

The battle of Akabar took place on April 1, 2018, between French and Malian forces aided by Tuareg rebels against Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.

El Hadj Ag Gamou, born December 31, 1964, in Tidermène, Mali, is an Imghad Tuareg Malian division general. Gamou is currently the governor of Kidal Region since November 22, 2023, and has also been the head of his faction of Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies since the group's foundation. Prior to his governorship, Gamou served in the Malian army, commanding Malian troops against Ansar Dine and the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) in the early stages of the Mali War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Council for the Unity of Azawad</span>

The High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA) (French: Haut conseil pour l'unité de l'Azawad) is a Tuareg political movement formed on May 2, 2013, during the Mali War. The movement was initially called the High Council of Azawad (HCA) (French: Haut conseil de l'Azawad) before changing its name on May 19, 2013.

On July 26, 2017, clashes broke out between the pro-government GATIA Imghad Tuareg militia and anti-government Idnane Tuareg rebels from the Coordination of Azawad Movements.

On July 30, 2016, clashes broke out between GATIA and the Coordination of Azawad Movements in Touzik, Kidal Region, Mali.

The battle of Kidal took place between July 21 and 22, 2016 between GATIA, a pro-government militia consisting of Imghad Tuaregs, against the Coordination of Azawad Movements, consisting of Ifoghas Tuaregs.

The Algiers Accords, officially referred to as the Accord for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, is a 2015 agreement to end the Mali War. The agreement was signed on May 15 and June 20, 2015, in Bamako, following negotiations in Algiers between the Republic of Mali and Coordination of Azawad Movements.

Between December 24–25, 2015, Ansar Dine militants attacked National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) positions in Talahandak, Mali. Ansar Dine captured the MNLA outpost, and then ambushed CMA reinforcements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alghabass Ag Intalla</span>

Alghabass Ag Intalla is a Malian Tuareg politician and prominent leader of the High Council for the Unity of Azawad and the Coordination of Azawad Movements.

The Platform Movements of June 14, 2014 in Algiers, also called the Platform of Self-Defense Movements and colloquially known as Platform, is an alliance of pro-government armed groups during the Mali War formed during peace negotiations on June 14, 2014, in Algiers. Between 2021 and 2023, Platform joined the Coordination of Azawad Movements in the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security, and Development (CSP-PSD).

On August 17, 2015, clashes broke out between pro-government GATIA militants and rebels from the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) in the town of Anefis and surrounding areas. The dispute was settled in September.

On January 28 and February 4, 2015, pro-government Imghad Tuareg GATIA fighters attacked a base staffed by Arab Movement of Azawad (MAA) fighters in Tabrichat, Mali.

On May 11, 2015, a Malian convoy was ambushed by Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) fighters in Tin Telout, Tombouctou Region, Mali. The ambush was the last conflict between the Malian government and CMA before the signing of the Algiers Accords.

On April 29, 2015, clashes broke out in Léré, Mali, between the Malian government and the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) during stalled negotiations for the Algiers Accords.

References

  1. Rose, Matthew (13 December 2017). "GAME OF TRIBES: GETTING COUNTERTERRORISM RIGHT". War Room - U.S. Army War College. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  2. "Mali : des combattants loyalistes entrent sans heurts dans Kidal". Le Monde.fr (in French). 3 February 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  3. "Mali: après les combats, Kidal est toujours sous tension". RFI (in French). 24 July 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  4. "Mali: violents affrontements entre le Gatia et la CMA à l'est de Kidal". RFI (in French). 30 July 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  5. "Mali: CMA et Gatia se renvoient la responsabilité des combats près de Kidal". RFI (in French). 10 August 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  6. "Mali: nouveaux combats entre la CMA et le Gatia dans la région de Kidal". RFI (in French). 10 August 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Rapport du Secrétaire général sur la situation au Mali" (PDF). United Nations Security Council. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  8. KOACI. "KOACI". KOACI (in French). Retrieved 15 January 2024.