Cheikh Ag Aoussa

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Cheikh Ag Aoussa
Nickname(s)Abou Mohame
Born1965 or 1966
Kidal, Mali
DiedOctober 8, 2016
Kidal, Mali
Cause of deathCar bombing
Allegiance Flag of Libya (1977-2011).svg Libya (1980s)
MPLA (1988-1991)
MPA (1991-1992)
ADC (2007-2009)
AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg Ansar Dine (2012-2013)
MIA (2013)
HCUA drapeau.JPG HCUA (2013-2016)
RankSecond-in-command (Ansar Dine)
Military commander (HCUA)
Battles/wars Lebanese Civil War
Toyota War
Tuareg rebellion (1990-1995)
Tuareg rebellion (2007-2009)
Mali War

Cheikh Ag Aoussa, nom de guerre Abou Mohame, [1] was a Tuareg rebel leader and prominent drug trafficker.

Biography

Ag Aoussa was born in 1965 or 1966 in Kidal, Mali. [2] Like many other Tuaregs, he went into exile in Libya in the 1980s and joined the Islamic Legion. Through the legion, Ag Aoussa participated in the Lebanese Civil War and the Toyota War. [3] He returned to Mali in 1990, and fought in the Tuareg rebellion of the 1990s, fighting in Iyad Ag Ghaly's People's Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MPLA). He refused to join the Malian Army after signing the National Pact peace deal in 1992, and instead made a living drug trafficking and trade. [3]

Ag Aoussa helped Ghaly in 2003 conduct negotiations with the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat to obtain the release of Western tourists. [3] In 2007, Ag Aoussa took up arms again and fought in the Tuareg rebellion of 2007-2009, fighting for the May 23, 2006 Democratic Alliance for Change (ADC). [4] After the war, Ag Aoussa was arrested on August 1, 2010, after threatening to kill Abdousalam Ag Assalat, the head of the Kidal regional assembly. [4]

When the Mali War broke out in 2012, Ag Aoussa joined Ansar Dine, led by Ghaly, and became the group's second-in-command. He commanded Ansar Dine militants during the battle of Aguelhok in January 2012. [5] According to a leader within the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), Ag Aoussa was drawn to Ansar Dine less out of jihadist ideology and more out of solidarity between Ifoghas Tuaregs. [3]

Ag Aoussa defected to the Islamic Movement of Azawad (MIA) at the start of Operation Serval. When the MIA merged into the High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA) in 2014, he joined with them. As head of the HCUA's military command, he returned to Kidal in 2014. [6] He commanded the HCUA during the Second Battle of Kidal. [7]

On October 8, 2016, Ag Aoussa was killed when his vehicle exploded after leaving a meeting with MINUSMA representatives. While news agencies reported the explosion being the result of a mine, the Coordination of Azawad Movements and HCUA claimed his death was a targeted assassination. The groups claimed a bomb was placed in his car while he was at the meeting. [8] [9]

RFI recalled Aoussa as "a man known for his generosity, a fervent defender of Azawad, a notable who has always posed as a mediator between northern communities and a seasoned miliary leader with powerful networks" even "if some within the former rebellion point out the sometimes unspeakable nature of some of his activities and business partners." [3]

Related Research Articles

Iyad Ag Ghaly, also known as Abū al-Faḍl, is a Tuareg militant from Mali's Kidal Region. He has been active in Tuareg rebellions against the Malian government since the 1980s – particularly in the early 1990s. In 1988, he founded the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Azawad. In the latest episode of the Tuareg upheavals in 2012, he featured as the founder and leader of the Islamist militant group Ansar Dine.

<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.

The Battle of Aguelhok occurred when rebels from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and Islamists groups Ansar Dine and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb attacked a Malian army garrison base in the town of Aguelhok, Kidal Region of Northern Mali on 17 January 2012, as part of the larger Tuareg rebellion to seize all government bases in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coordination of Azawad Movements</span> Mali resistance coalition

The Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) (Tamasheq: ⵜⴰⵙⵈ ⵏ ⵜⵏⴰⴾⵔⵢⵓⵏ ⵜⵢⵏ ⴰⵣⴰⵓⴰⴷ; Arabic: تنسيقية الحركات الأزوادية; French: Coordination des mouvements de l'Azawad) is a large coalition of Tuareg independentist and Arab nationalist groups which formed in Mali during the Northern Mali conflict in 2014.

The first battle of Kidal took place during the Mali war. On 30 March 2012, the city was captured by rebel MNLA and Ansar Dine forces.

Ba Ag Moussa was a Malian militant and jihadist.

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

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The raid on Tin Biden occurred between October 23 and 24, 2017, between French forces of Operation Barkhane and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin in the remote wadi of Tin Biden, Kidal Region, Mali. In the battle, French forces killed eleven Malian prisoners of war held captive by JNIM.

<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.

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 National Alliance for the Protection of Fulani Identity and the Restoration of Justice (ANSIPRJ) was a Fulani nationalist political and military movement formed on June 21, 2016, during the Mali War.

On May 18, 2016, militants from Ansar Dine ambushed Chadian forces north of Aguelhok, Mali.

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 Islamic Movement of Azawad (MIA) was a short-lived rebel group advocating for Azawadian autonomy under Islamic law. The group was founded by Alghabass Ag Intalla, and emerged after a split from Ansar Dine following French intervention in northern Mali. The MIA was founded in January 2013, and merged into the High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA) on May 19, 2013.

Achafghi Ag Bohada is a Malian Tuareg rebel and chief of staff of the High Council for the Unity of Azawad.

Mahri Sidi Amar Ben Daha, nom de guerre Yoro Ould Daha, was a Malian Arab warlord who fought in Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA) and the Arab Movement of Azawad's pro-government faction.

Mohamed Abderrahmane Ould Meydou, also known as Ould Meydou, is a Malian general who participated in the Tuareg rebellion of 2007 to 2009 and the Mali War. Meydou has also served as the governor of Taoudénit Region since 2017.

References

  1. ↑ "Exclusivité Sahara média : Ançar Edine dans sa première sortie médiatique depuis sa constitution". 2014-02-21. Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  2. ↑ "Portrait de Cheick Haoussa : Le vrai chef de la rébellion au nord". Maliactu. July 9, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mali: les circonstances de la mort de Cheikh Ag Aoussa restent incertaines". RFI (in French). 2016-10-09. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  4. 1 2 "Un ex-chef rebelle touareg arrêté pour menaces de mort sur un élu - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  5. ↑ "Mali – France : le ton monte - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  6. ↑ Salif (February 27, 2014). "Le numéro 2 d'Ansar Eddine et commanditaire du massacre d'Aguelhok refait surface : Cheick Haoussa revient à Kidal à la tête d'un convoi de 8 véhicules". Maliactu. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Mali: trois groupes armés à Kidal acceptent un accord de cessez-le-feu". RFI (in French). 2014-05-23. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  8. ↑ "Mali: l'enquête sur la mort de Cheikh Ag Aoussa s'annonce difficile". RFI (in French). 2016-10-14. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  9. ↑ "Mort de Cheikh Ag Aoussa au Mali: le point sur l'enquête". RFI (in French). 2016-10-11. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
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