The Armed Forces confirm the death of several senior officials of the new group in a series of bombings in the Kidal region
Dec. 2 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The main Tuareg separatist groups active in northern Mali have announced the creation of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a new “political-military entity” that seeks to materialize the aspirations for “self-determination” of the Azawad region, following the military offensive launched by the Army at the end of 2023 and in the face of the collapse of the 2015 peace agreement.
The main armed groups in the area have thus announced the dissolution of the Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA) and the movements integrated within it in order to give birth to the FLA, following a series of meetings held between November 26 and 30 in Tinzaouatene, in the Kidal region.
Thus, the statement published by the CSP-DPA spokesperson, Mohamed el Maulud Ramadane, states that this new group “is a political-military entity that carries the aspirations of the people of Azawad to the right of self-determination” and “aims to achieve the total liberation of Azawad and the creation of the Azawad Authority.”
The signatories have also adopted a new flag and have agreed to begin work to draft “a constituent charter that will be drawn up to define the objectives and principles of the Azawad Authority”, while asking the population to work to achieve unity and “guarantee internal stability.”
“We call on Azawadians inside and outside to unite around this historical stage and defend and protect it against all enemies,” they said, before also asking neighboring countries and the international community to “recognize the FLA as the sole representative of the people of Azawad.”
In this sense, they have explained that the decision comes because other signatory parties of the Algiers Agreements of 2015 “do not respect the commitments reached” and in view of the “massacres of civilians” by the Malian Army and the mercenaries of the former Group. Wagner, now called Africa Corps.
Furthermore, they have maintained that it comes in the face of “the forced exile of hundreds of thousands of families” and “the need” to unite the forces of the Azawad movements in the context of “insecurity and growing instability” in the Sahel region and the desert. of the Sahara, including “abject violations of Human Rights” against the civilian population.
Among the signatories of the agreement are the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), the Arab Movement of Azawad (MAA), the High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA) and the Tuareg Self-Defense Group Imghad and Allies (GATIA) , according to the founding document published by Ramadane in his account on X.
The FLA will be headed by Bilal ag Acherif, secretary general of the MNLA and self-proclaimed ‘state’ president of Azawad after the brief declaration of independence made by the group in April 2012, although this decision was not recognized by any country and did not lead to new steps after the Tuareg uprising was hijacked by jihadist groups.
Attaye ag Mohamed, a senior official of the CSP-DPA, has indicated that Ag Acherif has been elected “unanimously” and has stated that the DLA will provide “the necessary unity for the capitalization of certain victories.” “Congratulations to all the comrades. Unity is strength,” he noted in X.
For his part, Ag Acherif has extolled that the creation of the FLA is “a great event” that will have “a great impact.” The announcement has in fact been followed by a series of bombings carried out by Army drones against members of the group that have left several dead.
THE FFAA CLAIM AUTHORSHIP OF THE BOMBINGS
In this sense, Ag Mohamed has confirmed at least five deaths due to the bombings, perpetrated by “the coup terrorists of Bamako”, in reference to the military junta established after the coups d’état of 2020 and 2021, both headed by the current transitional president, Assimi Goita.
In this sense, he said that among the dead are four “notables”, among them Choghib Ag Attaher, “chief of the Idnane tribe.” In addition, he has denounced the death of Fahad ag Almahmoud, “a public personality with exclusively political positions”, as well as that of two of his collaborators, present at the scene of the attack.
“In total, there were three drone bombings that targeted notables who were sitting peacefully having tea,” he said, before adding that the targets included “senior civilian officials” of the FLA who “were in the open field stretching their legs.” . “They died as martyrs, since they played a decisive role in the unification of the fighting forces,” he added.
“The cowards of the Bamako junta, hiding behind aerial devices, are trying to make people believe in a military conquest on land, planned and preventive of imminent action by these victims,” Ag Mohamed criticized, after which the Armed Forces have confirmed his responsibility.
In this way, the General Staff of the Malian Army has indicated in a statement on its Facebook account that its forces “neutralized a large number of senior officials of terrorist groups in a particularly large-scale operation carried out on December 1 in Tinzaouatene “. In total, identify eight of them.
“The success of this operation demonstrates once again the professionalism of the Malian Armed Forces and the determination of the State of Mali in combating terrorism in all its forms and strengthening national security,” he said, before defending that the Those killed in the attacks “were involved in numerous attacks against civilians and the Armed Forces.”
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF TINZAOUATENE
The Army has stated that Tinzaouatene, located in the northeast of Mali, on the border with Algeria, and which is the main base of the aforementioned Tuareg groups in the African country, “has been under surveillance for many months” because “it is a strategic for the planning and execution of actions harmful to the security of the region”.
“The operation was executed with precision and sought to dismantle the structure of terrorist leaders and destabilize their chain of command,” he argued, before defending that the bombings “considerably reduce the operational potential of the affected terrorist group and limit its ability to coordinate.” attacks throughout the entire national territory”.
Along these same lines, he has guaranteed that “efforts to guarantee security in the Kidal region continue through zone control operations to guarantee a perennial victory”, before asking the population to “move away from terrorist safe havens.” “in order to ensure their safety during military operations.
The country is plunged into a crisis as a result of the armed uprising carried out by the Tuareg in 2012, in line with those registered in the nineties and their return to arms between 2007 and 2009 to seek greater autonomy and even independence for the region. of Azawad.
The rebellion, led by the MNLA and which provoked a coup d’état in March 2012 that deposed the then president, Amadou Toumani Touré, included the participation of Islamist groups such as Ansar Dine, although it was finally kidnapped by jihadists who advanced towards the center of the country, provoking a French military intervention.
In recent months, the junta has broken its military agreement with France and has forced the withdrawal of ‘blue helmets’ from the (MINUSMA) in the midst of a rapprochement with Russia, currently the main partner in matters of security and in the fight against Tuareg groups and other jihadist formations, including the branches of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
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