The Niger-Mali Tuareg Alliance (French: Alliance Touareg Niger-Mali), abbreviated ATNM was a political and military organization between Malian Tuaregs of the Adrar des Ifoghas and Nigerien Tuaregs.
| Niger-Mali Tuareg Alliance | |
|---|---|
| Alliance Touareg Niger-Mali | |
| Leaders | Ibrahim Ag Bahanga Hassan Ag Fagaga |
| Dates of operation | July 2006 - 2009 |
| Split from | May 23, 2006 Democratic Alliance for Change |
| Ideology | Tuareg nationalism |
| Size | 100-1,000[1] 3,000 (per Bahanga) |
| Opponents |  Niger Mali Algeria |
| Battles and wars | Tinzaouaten attack (2007) Battle of Nampala (2008) |
History
editThe ATNM was founded between July 25 and 27, 2006 by Ibrahim Ag Bahanga following disagreements with the recently signed Algiers Accords, claiming they were not being implemented.[1] The ATNM was a splinter group from the May 23, 2006 Democratic Alliance for Change (ADC), which Bahanga was a founder of.[1] The first attack by the group was in Tinzaouaten on May 11, 2007, which left eight fighters dead and two Malian soldiers dead.[1] A second attack in Tedjeret saw sixty Nigerien soldiers taken hostage by ATNM.[1] Following this attack, Hassan Ag Fagaga joined the ATNM.[1]
The group was alleged to have contacts with drug traffickers in Mali and Niger.[1] While the Malian government alleged links between ATNM and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Bahanga denied any connection with AQIM.[1] Fagaga and Bahanga's leadership and heavy losses among ATNM fighters caused the group to decline, and the group disarmed in 2009 when Libya offered monetary compensation to the fighters.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Rabasa, Angel; Gordon, John; Chalk, Peter; Grant, Audra K.; McMahon, K. Scott; Pezard, Stephanie; Reilly, Caroline; Ucko, David; Zimmerman, S. Rebecca (2011), "The Tuareg Insurgency in Mali, 2006–2009", From Insurgency to Stability, Volume II: Insights from Selected Case Studies, RAND Corporation, pp. 117–156, ISBN 978-0-8330-5314-5, JSTOR 10.7249/mg1111-2osd.13
- ^ Lins de Albuquerque, Adriana (December 11, 2014). "Explaining the 2012 Tuareg Rebellion in Mali and Lack Thereof in Niger". Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut. Retrieved February 13, 2024.