Tinzaouaten

Last updated
Tinzaouaten
تين ظواتين
ⵜⵉⵏⵣⴰⵡⴰⵜⴰⵏ
Commune and village
Mali adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Tinzaouaten
Location in Mali
Coordinates: 19°56′55″N2°58′04″E / 19.94861°N 2.96778°E / 19.94861; 2.96778
CountryFlag of Mali.svg  Mali
Region Kidal Region
Cercle Abeïbara Cercle
Control Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin
Area
[1]
  Total
8,750 km2 (3,380 sq mi)
Elevation
618 m (2,028 ft)
Population
 (2009 census) [2]
  Total
2,300
  Density0.26/km2 (0.68/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (WAT)

Tinzaouaten (var. Tinzawatene and Tin-Zaouatene; Arabic : تين ظواتين) is a Saharan rural commune in the far northeast of Mali on the Algerian border.

Contents

Geography

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. [1] The Algerian settlement of Tin Zaoutine is on the Algerian side of the border. [3]

Recent history

In 2019, Tinzaouaten was the headquarters of the Al-Qaeda-associated terrorist group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin. [4]

On July 25, 2024, Tuareg rebels of CSP-DPA ambushed a convoy of FAMA and Russian Wagner mercenaries in Tinzaouaten, beginning a 2-day battle. Over the course of the battle a sandstorm formed, forcing both sides to a temporary pause in fighting until July 26. [5] The battle ended on July 27 resulting in the loss of several FAMA armored vehicles, a FAMA helicopter and the claimed deaths of 10 FAMA soldiers, up to 25-80+ Wagner Group mercenaries and 20 CSP-DPA soldiers. [6]

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Events in the year 2024 in Mali.

The battle of Tinzaouaten was a battle between the rebel coalition Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA), and the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) backed by the Wagner Group, a Russian state-funded mercenary group. It took place in the outskirts of Tinzaouaten, a commune near the Algeria–Mali border. The Sahelien branch of al-Qaeda, Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), also claims to have taken part in the battle against the Malian and Wagner forces, but CSP denied their involvement.

References

  1. 1 2 Plan de Sécurité Alimentaire Commune Rurale Tinzawatene 2007-2011 (PDF) (in French), Commissariat à la Sécurité Alimentaire, République du Mali, USAID-Mali, 2007, archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-09-18, retrieved 2012-05-02.
  2. Resultats Provisoires RGPH 2009 (Région de Kidal) (PDF) (in French), République de Mali: Institut National de la Statistique, archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-07-27, retrieved 2012-05-02.
  3. fr:Tinzaouten
  4. Pellerin, Mathieu (November 2019). "Armed violence in the Sahara" (PDF). IFRI. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-05-23. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  5. Bridger, Bianca (2024-07-25). "Tuareg rebels ambush Malian and Russian forces near the Algerian border". Atlas News. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  6. "Mali rebels say they killed and injured dozens of soldiers, Wagner mercenaries in fighting". Reuters . Bamako. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-27.