Hamada Ould Mohamed Kheirou[note 1][1][2] nom de guerre Abu Qum-Qum[note 2][3] was a Mauritanian jihadist and the founder of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO/MOJWA).
Hamada Ould Mohamed Kheirou | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Abderrahmane Ould Mohamed Lemine Ould Mohamed Khairy |
| Nickname(s) | Abu Qumqum |
| Born | 1970 Ould Naga, Mauritania |
| Died | July 21, 2017 Libya |
| Cause of death | Airstrike |
| Allegiance |  AQIM (2009–2011) MOJWA (2011–2014) Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna (2014) IS-L |
| Known for | Founder of MOJWA |
| Battles / wars | Mali War Second Libyan Civil War |
Biography
editKheirou was born in Ouad Naga and a descent of the marabout tribe of Tegounanett.[4] In 2005, He was arrested in Nouakchott for instigating violence in a mosque, which he claimed was teaching untrue Islam. He escaped the city a few months later disguised as a woman.[5] Kheirou was arrested again on September 3, 2008, in Kita, Mali, but was released in April 2009 along with Idris Ould Mohamed Lemine in a prison exchange with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).[4][6] He was released on the behest of Canada for the Canadian diplomats Robert Fowler and Louis Gay, according to Franco-Beninese journalist Serge Daniel.[4] According to Jeune Afrique, Kheirou was released in 2010 for French hostage Pierre Camatte.[5]
Kheirou joined AQIM in 2009, supplying Mokhtar Belmokhtar's katiba in northern Mali along with making explosives.[7] During his time in AQIM, Kheirou criticized the leadership of Abdelmalek Droukdel and accused the group of being dominated by Algerians and an inequitable distribution of money gathered from hostage-taking and trafficking.[7] In late 2011, he founded the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa and established connection with Boko Haram.[5]
In MOJWA, Kheirou sponsored the Tamanrasset suicide bombing on March 3, 2012, killing twenty-three people.[8] When the Mali War broke out in 2012, MOJWA fought against moderate Tuareg rebels and the Malian government.
Kheirou has been sanctioned by the United Nations and the United States, with the latter setting a $5 million bounty for his arrest.[9]
In 2014, he announced his allegiance to the Islamic State, and his refusal of the merger between MOJWA and Al-Mourabitoun.[10][11] Kheirou is believed to have fled to and lived in Sirte, Libya, when the city was controlled of the Islamic State.[12] In Libya, he fought with the Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna before fleeing to Sirte.[10] Mauritanian media reported he was killed in a 2017 airstrike in Libya.[10]
References
editNote
editCitations
edit- ^ "HAMADA OULD MOHAMED EL KHAIRY | United Nations Security Council". www.un.org. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ "Designation of Hamad el Khairy, Also Known as Abderrahmane Ould Mohamed Lemine Ould Mohamed Khairy, Also Known as Hamada Ould Mohamed Kheirou, Also Known as Abou Qumqum, Also Known as Amada Ould Kheirou, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Pursuant to Section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as Amended". Federal Register. December 13, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ "La trajectoire djihadiste du Mujao du nord du Mali au Niger". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2013-05-23. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ a b c Daniel, Serge (2014). Les Mafias du Mali : Trafics et Terrorisme au Sahel (in French). Descartes & Cie. pp. 76–77. ISBN 978-2-84446271-8.
- ^ a b c "Mali : Hamada Ould Mohamed Kheirou, le cerveau du Mujao - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ "Mauritanie : la stratégie d'un ex-futur maillon faible". Archive (in French). 2018-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ a b Memier, Marc (January 2017). "AQMI et al-mOUrabitoun: Le djihad sahélien réunifié ?" (PDF). Institut Francais des Relations Internationales. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ "Algérie: l'attentat de Tamanrasset revendiqué par un groupe jihadiste". RFI (in French). 2012-03-04. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ "Les Etats-Unis offrent 18 millions de dollars pour arrêter quatre terroristes". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2014-06-13. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ a b c "Hamada Ould Mohamed Kheirou aka Abu Q'aqa'a was killed recently in airstrike in Libya". MENASTREAM via Twitter. July 21, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ "Etat islamique: allégeance, soutien, hésitation des groupes africains". RFI (in French). 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ "Hôte de l'Imam Dianko à Gao : Qui est Hamada Ould Mohamed Kheirou ?". DAKARACTU.COM (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-31.