Between Mali and Azawad: a long-running fight for independence obscured by the new conflict
![Mali map [660x300]](http://www.thisisafrica.me/data/thumb/abc_media_image/6000/6665/w430.68de7.jpg)
You will, by now, have read one article or another about the French intervention in northern Mali, the general gist of which is that Islamic extremists trying to take over the country and destroy Mali. You will have read about music being banned and a strict interpretation of shari’a law being implemented in the northern region, with numerous Islamist factions taking control. All true, and the fears of secular Malians who oppose these actions and terrorist activities are legitimate, but there is another story from the region that began much earlier and has been scarcely covered by mainstream media. Besides shedding light on this story, I hope to remind people that it is entirely possible to be a victim while carrying out atrocities of your own. We tend to prefer the simpler narrative of 100% good guys vs. 100% bad guys, but the reality of most conflicts is messy and rarely black and white.
There are multiple movements currently vying for power in Azawad (a territory in northern Mali), and the conflation of indigenous, secular, nationalists with the various Islamist groups - which are mainly funded by and made up of outsiders to the region - only serves to misinform the current situation and leads to misunderstanding. The only things these groups have in common is an opposition to the Malian government, but that does not mean they support or agree with one another, and understanding the distinctions between them is crucial for a clearer picture of what’s happening in Mali. While the goal of most Islamist groups is to establish an Islamic state, Tamasheq civilians (a subgroup of the Tuareg peoples, who live in an area that stretches from the Sahara to Sudan) and most of the population of Azawad simply want to live in peace: "Azawad independence means ‘no more state interference in our lives." This sentiment is echoed by some of our most well-known Malian musicians and bands, such as Khaira Arby andTinariwen. To promote these incredible musical traditions and secularism in Azawad, we must understand the context and origins of the conflict.
In January 2012, a civil war began in Mali between Bamako and the people of its northern region Azawad, represented by National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (known by its French acronym MNLA). By April, Azawad was declared an independent state by the MNLA, which sought to establish an independent Saharan state with a secular and democratic government. These developments went underreported by the mainstream media until the recent French intervention in Azawad, in which over one hundred people were killed on its first day.
Rally of Amazigh Americans in support of a secular state of Azawad
The most populous indigenous ethnic group of the Azawad region are the Kel Tamasheq, who are part of the larger Amazighpeople living in North Africa. The Kel Tamasheq, also called "Tuareg," are nomadic, and live in the Sahara, divided by the colonial borders of Mali, Niger, Algeria, and other states. Before French colonialism of the Sahara ended, a group of Tamasheq and other Saharan leaders wrote a letter to French General De Gaulle asking for a Saharan state of their own. When they found that they were to be split up between several countries and that French colonialism would simply be replaced by another form of foreign occupation, they could accept their exploitation no longer. In Mali alone there have been four major uprisings of the Kel Tamasheq since formal French colonialism ended: in 1963, 1990, 2006, and finally in 2012.
Tinariwen - Soixante Trois
The song refers to the first uprising of Azawad, and talks about how they will continue to rebel against Malian rule. A sample of the lyrics:
’63 has gone, but will return
Those days have left their traces
They murdered the old folk and a child just born
They swooped down to the pastures and wiped out the cattle…
’63 has gone, but will return
Mali and Niger, who have weathered the strongest resistance from the Kel Tamasheq, have continually exploited Tamasheq lands - mostly for gold, oil and uranium, which are usually sold to France - and underdeveloped their northern regions. Documentary filmmaker Akli Sh’kka has recorded the experiences of some of the Tamasheq people in his short film Imshuradj, a Tamasheq word meaning “people without a country.”
In his admittedly leading questions, he refers to the massacres which killed hundreds of people in Azawad, the poisoning of wells and the killing of animals, the last two of which are lethal in the desert. Confirmation that the Malian government is capable of committing the atrocities reported by these Tamasheq civilians can be found in its willingness to bomb civilian populations, even refugee camps, as they did during the MNLA’s fight for Azawadien independence. Actions like these reveal a wanton disregard for human life - Azawadien life - on the part of the Malian state. In addition, discriminatory killings targeting Tamasheq civilians on the basis of their ethnicity have been reported.
Tamasheq woman drumming
One of the misconceptions of the Azawadien conflict is the idea that it is rooted in the racism of ‘white Tuaregs’ vs. ‘black Africans’: that the Kel Tamasheq simply cannot bear to be ruled by Black, southern Malians. However, a significant number of Kel Tamasheq are dark-skinned people who would nearly universally be considered Black (to my knowledge, most Kel Tamasheqs are dark-skinned), and as far as I'm aware the lighter-skinned ones do not see themselves as white, so this racial analysis sounds uncomfortable like the common tendency to interpret any friction between people as “tribal” conflicts. The conflict between Bamako and Azawad is rooted in economic exploitation, a history of violent oppression, and Indigenous Saharan claims to the land, rather than in the purported white supremacy of an indigenous African people. The Tamasheq, like other Imazighen, are neither Arab nor European. Furthermore, Azawad was never intended to be an ethnic state only for the Kel Tamasheq, but inclusive of all other ethnic and linguistic groups residing in the region.
CONTINUE READING
In January 2012, a civil war began in Mali between Bamako and the people of its northern region Azawad, represented by National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (known by its French acronym MNLA). By April, Azawad was declared an independent state by the MNLA, which sought to establish an independent Saharan state with a secular and democratic government. These developments went underreported by the mainstream media until the recent French intervention in Azawad, in which over one hundred people were killed on its first day.
Rally of Amazigh Americans in support of a secular state of AzawadThe most populous indigenous ethnic group of the Azawad region are the Kel Tamasheq, who are part of the larger Amazighpeople living in North Africa. The Kel Tamasheq, also called "Tuareg," are nomadic, and live in the Sahara, divided by the colonial borders of Mali, Niger, Algeria, and other states. Before French colonialism of the Sahara ended, a group of Tamasheq and other Saharan leaders wrote a letter to French General De Gaulle asking for a Saharan state of their own. When they found that they were to be split up between several countries and that French colonialism would simply be replaced by another form of foreign occupation, they could accept their exploitation no longer. In Mali alone there have been four major uprisings of the Kel Tamasheq since formal French colonialism ended: in 1963, 1990, 2006, and finally in 2012.
Tinariwen - Soixante Trois
The song refers to the first uprising of Azawad, and talks about how they will continue to rebel against Malian rule. A sample of the lyrics:
’63 has gone, but will return
Those days have left their traces
They murdered the old folk and a child just born
They swooped down to the pastures and wiped out the cattle…
’63 has gone, but will return
Mali and Niger, who have weathered the strongest resistance from the Kel Tamasheq, have continually exploited Tamasheq lands - mostly for gold, oil and uranium, which are usually sold to France - and underdeveloped their northern regions. Documentary filmmaker Akli Sh’kka has recorded the experiences of some of the Tamasheq people in his short film Imshuradj, a Tamasheq word meaning “people without a country.”
In his admittedly leading questions, he refers to the massacres which killed hundreds of people in Azawad, the poisoning of wells and the killing of animals, the last two of which are lethal in the desert. Confirmation that the Malian government is capable of committing the atrocities reported by these Tamasheq civilians can be found in its willingness to bomb civilian populations, even refugee camps, as they did during the MNLA’s fight for Azawadien independence. Actions like these reveal a wanton disregard for human life - Azawadien life - on the part of the Malian state. In addition, discriminatory killings targeting Tamasheq civilians on the basis of their ethnicity have been reported.
Tamasheq woman drummingOne of the misconceptions of the Azawadien conflict is the idea that it is rooted in the racism of ‘white Tuaregs’ vs. ‘black Africans’: that the Kel Tamasheq simply cannot bear to be ruled by Black, southern Malians. However, a significant number of Kel Tamasheq are dark-skinned people who would nearly universally be considered Black (to my knowledge, most Kel Tamasheqs are dark-skinned), and as far as I'm aware the lighter-skinned ones do not see themselves as white, so this racial analysis sounds uncomfortable like the common tendency to interpret any friction between people as “tribal” conflicts. The conflict between Bamako and Azawad is rooted in economic exploitation, a history of violent oppression, and Indigenous Saharan claims to the land, rather than in the purported white supremacy of an indigenous African people. The Tamasheq, like other Imazighen, are neither Arab nor European. Furthermore, Azawad was never intended to be an ethnic state only for the Kel Tamasheq, but inclusive of all other ethnic and linguistic groups residing in the region.
CONTINUE READING
http://www.thisisafrica.me/opinion/detail/19786/between-mali-and-azawad-a-long-running-fight-for-independence-obscured-by-the-new-conflict
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