MALIAN ARMY RUNS INTO BAHANGA, AND LOSES, AGAIN

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAMAKO 000295

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2018
TAGS: ASEC PINS PINR ML
SUBJECT: MALIAN ARMY RUNS INTO BAHANGA, AND LOSES, AGAIN

REF: BAMAKO 00256

Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson, Embassy Bamako, for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

1.(C) On March 20 a convoy of Malian military vehicles
clashed with Ibrahim Bahanga's forces on the road between
Bourghessa and Tinzawaten. There is some question over
whether the Malian military convoy was ambushed or had
actively sought confrontation with Bahanga's forces. Our
Tuareg contacts have noted that Elladi ag Alla, who was
leading a Tuareg delegation that met with Bahanga, allegedly
warned the convoy not to proceed because Bahanga's men were
positioned along the road ahead.

2.(C) Radio France has reported that several Malian soldiers
were killed and wounded. Initial reports from Embassy
sources indicate that Bahanga's group captured or destroyed
as many as 8 Malian military vehicles plus a military truck
loaded with ammunition. Bahanga may have captured as many as
30 Malian soldiers.

3.(C) Bahanga released the last contingent of hostages taken
in August 2007 less than two weeks ago following an
intervention, and presumed pay off, by Alliance for Democracy
and Change (ADC) leader Iyad ag Ghali and an emissary
dispatched by Libyan leader Mouammar Qadhafi (reftel).

4.(C) The March 20 confrontation occurred on the road
between Bourghessa and Tinzawaten. On March 13 the Malian
army commander in Kidal, Lt. Col. Didier Dacko, was seriously
wounded when his vehicle hit a land mine along the same road.
Dacko was subsequently evacuated from Kidal to Bamako with
U.S. military assistance.

5.(C) Bahanga's Paris based father-in-law, Hama ag Sid'Ahmed
has been threatening renewed hostilities for the past week.
While Sid'Ahmed styles himself as the spokesman for the
Northern Mali Tuareg Alliance for Change (ATNMC),his
influence over Bahanga appears slim and many of Sid'Ahmed's
letters are likely drafted without Bahanga's approval or
knowledge. In a March 10 letter sent to various diplomatic
missions, Sid'Ahmed demanded the application of the Algiers
Accords and the withdrawal of Malian troops from the region
of Kidal. He warned that continued refusals to meet these
demands would result in serious, but unspecified,
consequences. On March 15 Sid'Ahmed released a second
statement claiming that Lt. Col. Dacko had been wounded
during an attack on Bahanga's positions, and threatened
further military action if the Malian government did not take
concrete steps toward implementing the Algiers Accords within
the next week.

6.(C) Comment: Minister of Defense Natie Pleah briefly
appeared on Malian television the evening of March 20 to
deliver a statement that attributed Malian military
casualties in Tinzawaten to a land mine accident. The
Minister said three Malian soldiers had been killed. This
likely indicates that real casualties are higher. An
official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 21 told
the Embassy that Mali had not released an official statement
on whether any soldiers had been captured by Bahanga.
Whether this most recent action is follow-through on
expressed threats by the ATNMC, a Malian military offensive
gone awry, or indulgence by a greedy Bahanga to take more
hostages now that the practice has been proved remunerative,
the end result of deteriorating security in Mali's
northeastern corner is disheartening. We understand that the
Government of Mali is sending further troop reinforcements
into the area, which, given the Malian military's most recent
performance, does not necessarily leave us more hopeful.
MCCULLEY