Tuareg and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb: The unlikely jihadist bedmates

[Ghost Dog]

Monday 8 November 2010 / by Stéphanie Plasse

Last September, the abduction five Europeans sparked a hue and cry. Tuareg in the Sahel region were accused of operating in concert with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to carry out the latter’s jihadist agenda. But the weight of suspicion has led the young nomads of Niger and Mali to shed light light on the dynamics of a region that is sinking into the bowels of abysmal misery.

"It is impossible," says a young Tuareg from Niger. "We are here to demand our rights, not to kidnap people. It is not how we operate." Acting in concert, the men of the desert insist that they "refuse to be falsely incriminated."

...

But the statements have provoked the ire of the Tuareg who want the officials "to stop confusing AQIM with the Tuareg." Musa Bilalan Ag-Ganta, member of Desert Rebel and president of the collective associations of northern Niger says that "every time something happens, we are held responsible". Musa believes that it is an effort to "demean" them, while using their previous rebellions as a yardstick. "They are political tactics," he adds.

...

And according to the monitoring committee for the agreements, the former rebels were an "effective remedy" against AQIM in the desert, because "they know the area". Yet until now, not a single "special unit" has seen the light of day, as the authorities seem reluctant to cooperate with the men from the north. "The Tuareg have always been excluded from power. They are left out because of ethnic considerations," says Abdoulahi Attayoub, president of a Tuareg website, Temoust.org.

Perceived as "warriors," the desert men are of ill-repute. "There is this culture of distrust that has been cultivated by Bamako (Capital of Mali and the seat of government, ed) since independence vis-à-vis the northern communities of Mali. This rejection... is the source of all conflicts, both armed and political, between the Tuareg and the powers that be," argues Hama Ag Sid’ahmed, spokesman and Foreign Relations officer of Mali-Tuareg, a political group.

/... http://www.afrik-news.com/article18450.html


A very special part of the world, this region...

[Sinistrous]

1. Instructive. Thank you.

At first, I thought the post was going to be about AlQ guys driving expensive Volkswagons.

[Ghost Dog]

2. It is good to be honorably prepared

for the potential psyops, I think.

Reality, of course, is what it is.