Kidal is a town in Mali
Kidal may refer to:
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Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali is the eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of just over 1,240,000 square kilometres (480,000 sq mi). The population of Mali is 19.1 million. 67% of its population was estimated to be under the age of 25 in 2017. Its capital is Bamako. The sovereign state of Mali consists of eight regions and its borders on the north reach deep into the middle of the Sahara Desert, while the country's southern part, where the majority of inhabitants live, features the Niger and Senegal rivers. The country's economy centers on agriculture and mining. Some of Mali's prominent natural resources include gold, being the third largest producer of gold in the African continent, and salt.
Azawad is the name given to northern Mali by Tuareg rebels, as well as a former short-lived unrecognised state. Its independence was declared unilaterally by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) in 2012, after a Tuareg rebellion drove the Malian Army from the region. It rejoined Mali in February 2013, after less than a year of unrecognized independence.
Kidal is a town and commune in the desert region of northern Mali. The town lies 285 km (177 mi) northeast of Gao and is the capital of the Kidal Cercle and the Kidal Region. The commune has an area of about 9,910 km2 (3,830 sq mi) and includes the town of Kidal and 31 other settlements.
Kidal Region is the eighth administrative region of Mali, covering 151,450 square kilometres or 58,480 square miles. This area was formerly part of Gao Region, but was created as a separate region in 1991. It is located in the north of the country, within the territory which the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad proclaimed to be the independent nation-state of Azawad on 6 April 2012. This independence has not been recognized by any country or international organization. It was under the control of different armed movements such as the Ansar Dine and MNLA until January 2013, when French forces liberated the region. The Region's administrative capital is the town of Kidal.
Aguelhok or Adjelhoc is a rural commune and village in the Kidal Region of eastern Mali in the Tessalit Cercle. In the census of 2009 the commune had a population of 8,080.
The Gao Region is in northeastern Mali. The capital city is Gao.
Tin-Essako is a rural commune and village, in the Tin-Essako Cercle in Mali's north-eastern Kidal Region. The village lies 115 km due east of Kidal. In the 2009 census the commune had a total population of 2,595.
The Adrar des Ifoghas is a massif located in the Kidal Region of Mali, reaching into Algeria. It has an area of around 250,000 square kilometers.
Tinzaouaten is a Saharan rural commune in the far northeast of Mali on the Algerian border. The commune is in the Abeïbara Cercle of the Kidal Region. It included a stop on a trans-Saharan trade route and a military post on the frontier under the French colonial regime. In 2009 the 8,000 square kilometer commune had a population of 2,300, most of whom are nomadic Tuareg. The Algerian settlement of Tinzaouten is on the Algerian side of the border.
A Commune is the third level administrative unit in Mali. Mali is divided into eight regions and one capital district (Bamako). These subdivisions bear the name of their principal city. The regions are divided into 49 Cercles. The Cercles and the district are divided into 703 Communes, with 36 Urban Communes and 667 Rural Communes, while some larger Cercles still contain Arrondissements above the Commune level, these are organisational areas with no independent power or office. Rural Communes are subdivided in Villages, while Urban Communes are subdivided into Quartier. Communes usually bear the name of their principal town. The capital, Bamako, consists of six Urban Communes. There were initially 701 communes until the Law No. 01-043 of 7 June 2001 created two new Rural Communes in the desert region in the north east of the country: Alata, Ménaka Cercle in the Gao Region and Intadjedite, Tin-Essako Cercle in the Kidal Region.
Abeïbara Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Kidal Region of north-eastern Mali. The capital lies at the small town of Abeïbara. The Cercle is divided into Communes, and below this, quarters/villages. As of 2009 the cercle had a population of 10,286.
Kidal Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Kidal Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Kidal. The cercle is divided into rural and urban communes, and below this, quarters/villages. In 2009 the cercle had a population of 33,087.
Tin-Essako Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Kidal Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is at the village of Tin-Essako. In the 2009 census the cercle had a population of 7,976 people. The cercle is the least populated in Mali and has an extreme Saharian climate.
Tessalit Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Kidal Region of Mali. The administrative centre is the village of Tessalit. The cercle is divided into communes, and below this, quarters/villages. As of 2009 the cercle had a population of 16,289.
Abeïbara is a small Saharan village and rural commune in the Abeïbara Cercle of the Kidal Region of north-eastern Mali. The commune has an area of approximately 8,320 square kilometers and contains 11 settlements. In the 2009 census it had a population of 4,585.
Boghassa is a Saharan village and commune in the Cercle of Abeïbara in the Kidal Region of north-eastern Mali. In the 2009 census the commune had a population of 3,401.
Anefif or Anéfis is a Saharan village and commune in the Cercle of Kidal in the Kidal Region of north-eastern Mali. The village lies 95 km (59 mi) southwest of Kidal on the route linking Kidal to Bourem and Gao. In 2009 the commune had a population of 5,087.
Sangha is a rural commune in the Cercle of Bandigara in the Mopti Region of Mali. The commune contains around 44 small villages and in the 2009 census had a population of 32,513. The administrative centre (chef-lieu) is the village of Sangha Ogol Leye, one of a cluster of small villages at the top of the Bandiagara Escarpment.
The Mali War, Northern Mali Conflict or Mali Civil War refers to armed conflicts that started from January 2012 between the northern and southern parts of Mali in Africa. On 16 January 2012, several insurgent groups began fighting a campaign against the Malian government for independence or greater autonomy for northern Mali, an area of northern Mali they called Azawad. The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), an organization fighting to make this area of Mali an independent homeland for the Tuareg people, had taken control of the region by April 2012.
Since the foreign intervention in Mali, Kidal was retaken by French, Malian, and Chadian troops. On 17 May 2014, Moussa Mara, the Malian prime minister came to visit Kidal.