National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
| National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad | |
|---|---|
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ⵜⴰⵏⴾⵔⴰ ⵏ ⵜⵓⵎⴰⵙⵜ ⴹ ⴰⵙⵍⴰⵍⵓ ⵏ ⴰⵣⴰⵓⴷ الحركة الوطنية لتحرير أزواد Mouvement national de libération de l'Azawad Participant in Tuareg rebellions |
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| Active | October 2011 – present |
| Ideology |
Nationalism Autonomy |
| Leaders |
Bilal Ag Acherif(General Secretary) Mahmoud Ag Aghaly (President of the political bureau) Ag Mohamed Najem (head of military operations) Moussa Ag Acharatoumane Ibrahim Ag Bahanga |
| Headquarters | Kidal |
| Area of operations | Azawad/northern Mali |
| Strength | 9,000-10,000 (MNLA sources) |
| Part of |
 Azawad
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| Allies |
 Libya (under Jamahiriya) Libya (under NTC)Ansar Dine (formerly each had some element of support) |
| Opponents |
 Mali (2012) AlgeriaAnsar Dine (since June 2012) Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa |
| Battles and wars | |
| Website | www.mnlamov.net |
2012–present Northern Mali conflict
The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad or the Azawad National Liberation Movement (Tamasheq: ⵜⴰⵏⴾⵔⴰ ⵏ ⵜⵓⵎⴰⵙⵜ ⴹ ⴰⵙⵍⴰⵍⵓ ⵏ ⴰⵣⴰⵓⴷTankra n Tumast ḍ Aslalu n Azawd, Arabic: الحركة الوطنية لتحرير أزواد, French: Mouvement national de libération de l'Azawad; MNLA), formerly the National Movement of Azawad (French: Mouvement national de l'Azawad; MNA), is a political and military organisation based in Azawad in northern Mali. The movement is mostly made up of ethnic Tuareg, some of whom are believed to have fought in the Libyan army during the 2011 Libyan Civil War (though other Tuareg MNLA fighters were on the side of the National Transitional Council and returned to Mali after that war). The movement was founded in October 2011 and had stated that it includes other Saharan peoples. The Malian government has accused the movement of having links to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. However, the MNLA denies this claim. By 1 April 2012 the MNLA and Ansar Dine were in control of virtually all of northern Mali, including its three largest cities of Kidal, Gao, and Timbuktu. Tensions between the MNLA and Ansar Dine culminated in the Battle of Gao, in which the MNLA lost control of northern Malian cities to Ansar Dine and the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa.
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Wikipedia