MALI USING TUAREG MILITIAS TO COMBAT TUAREG REBELS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAMAKO 000482

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/2018
TAGS: ASEC PINS PINR ML
SUBJECT: MALI USING TUAREG MILITIAS TO COMBAT TUAREG REBELS

REF: A. BAMAKO 00435

B. BAMAKO 00463

C. BAMAKO 00419

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

1.(C) Summary: On May 29 the Embassy spoke to Kader Bah, a
close confidante of President Amadou Toumani Toure and
Minister of Territorial Administration Kafougouna Kone, about
tensions in the northern Malian city of Kidal. For the past
two nights the Malian military has fired heavy artillery
around Kidal as "warning" shots to Tuareg rebel groups
positioned outside the town. Bah confirmed reports that the
Malian government is supporting a Tuareg militia composed of
ethnic Imghad Tuaregs led by Col. Elhadj Gamou. The Malians
are using this militia to combat rebel groups composed
largely of ethnic Ifoghas Tuaregs by playing off
Imghad-Ifoghas tensions dating back to the 1991-1996
rebellion. Several northern officers of the Malian military
have reportedly refused to fight along side Gamou's militias
citing fears of increased "tribalism" and the militia's
paramilitary status. Later on May 29 the Embassy met with
Alghabass Intallah, the National Assembly Deputy from Kidal,
and Ahmada ag Bibi, the spokesman for the Tuareg rebel
Alliance for Democracy and Change (ADC). Intallah and ag
Bibi warned President Toure and Minister Kone earlier this
week of the dangers of creating paramilitary units based on
ethnicity. Ag Bibi asked the President to officially
recognize a cease-fire to allow the disparate Tuareg rebel
factions time to regroup in Tamanrasset under Algerian
supervision to select a point-person for the Tuareg rebel
movement. Since the Malians have mounted only one offensive
engagement since the current crisis began in August 2007, ag
Bibi's demand for a cease-fire declaration from President
Toure seems remarkably misplaced. End Summary.

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Mali Using Irregular Tuareg Militias
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2.(C) On May 29 Kader Bah confirmed that the Malian
government is using irregular Tuareg militia units composed
of ethnic Imghads to counter Tuareg rebels groups in northern
Mali. The militias are commanded by Col. Elhadj Gamou, who
is a senior commander of military forces in Kidal. Gamou is
also a Tuareg belonging to the Imghad tribe. During the
1991-1996 rebellion he belonged to the Revolutionary Army for
the Liberation of the Azawad (ARLA) - a rebel group composed
primarily of Imghads. Bah said the Malian government helped
Gamou constitute an irregular militia of fellow Imghads using
many of the arms and ammunition captured by the Imghad group
that attacked the gendarme base in Ansongo in the region of
Gao on May 12 (Ref. A).

3.(C) Bah said President Toure decided last week to once
again give Minister of Territorial Administration, General
Kafougouna Kone, the authority to lead Mali's response to the
Tuareg crisis. General Kone negotiated the Algiers Accords
in July 2006 on Mali's behalf but subsequently faded from
view. Bah said General Kone and Minister of Internal
Security Sadio Gassama were now charged with overseeing the
north but that neither the Minister of Defense, Natie Pleah,
nor the Director of State Security, Col. Mamy Coulibaly, were
willing to share information with Kone and Gassama.

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ADC Leaders in Bamako
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4.(C) Later on May 29 the Embassy met with two Tuareg
National Assembly Deputies from northern Mali, Alghabass
Intallah and ADC spokesman Ahmada ag Bibi. Alghabass
Intallah's father is the Amenokal, or traditional leader, of
Kidal Tuaregs. Alghabass is in his late twenties or early
thirties. At about six foot five inches in height, the
soft-spoken, gangly Alghabass's youth is counter-balanced by
his central place within Malian Tuareg's traditional
hierarchy. In contrast to his elder brother, Mohamed who is
also a National Assembly Deputy, Alghabass appeared
reflective and relatively well-educated. Ag Bibi and
Alghabass informed President Toure and General Kone earlier
in the week of the dangers of using an ethnic based militia
led by Col. Gamou to combat Tuareg rebels.

5.(C) Alghabass questioned Mali's interest in implementing
the Algiers Accords and said that "a bad warrior cannot make

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war or peace." He noted that while Foreign Minister Moctar
Ouane was proclaiming Algeria's decision to resume its
mediation efforts, other arms of the Malian government were
working with Col. Gamou to stand up paramilitary units.
Tuaregs believe National Assembly vice-president, Assarid ag
Imbarkawen, who like Gamou is an Ighmad Tuareg from the Gao
region, is also involved in the creation of the militia
units. Alghabass said one of the militia leaders is Ahmoudou
Badi and reminded the Embassy that Badi was convicted for the
1999 carjacking and killing a Danish citizen working for
Maersk. Badi "escaped" from prison in 2004.

6.(C) Alghabass and ag Bibi said that the May 21 attack on
the Malian garrison in Abeibara (Ref. B) was in retaliation
for the April 10 execution of two ADC members and also the
attempted rape and stabbing of a Tuareg woman in Abeibara by
a Malian soldier. Ag Bibi said the Malian soldier, named
Cheikhna, was among the 50-60 hostages the ADC claims to have
captured during the attack. Kader Bah estimated that the
number of hostages held by the ADC, in addition to the 33
still held by Ibrahim Bahanga, was closer to 20 or 30 but
admitted that he did not have exact details. The number of
Malian soldiers killed on May 21 also remains unclear.
Officially the Malians have said that 10 soldiers were
killed. Bah said the figure was likely closer to 25 or 30,
which tracks with ADC claims.

7.(C) The ADC is demanding a reduction of government forces
in the north and recognition of an official cease-fire from
President Toure. "We see the military as an occupying army,"
said Alghabass. He also warned that the ADC commander who
lead the May 6 attack in Diabali (Ref. C) north of Segou
"could do the same thing in Koulikoro" which is less than an
hour north of Bamako.

8.(C) Ag Bibi said the cease-fire declaration was needed in
order to enable the disparate Tuareg rebel movements time to
organize a meeting in Tamanrasset in neighboring Algeria to
choose someone capable of speaking on behalf of all Kidal
Tuaregs. Ag Bibi clearly thinks that as ADC spokesperson he
is the best candidate for this role - a decision likely not
shared others within the ADC and rebels like Ibrahim Bahanga.
Ag Bibi said it was possible that ADC leader Iyad ag Ghali
could return from Saudi Arabia to serve, once again, as the
point person for the Tuareg rebel movement as he did during
the 1990s.

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Comment: Tuareg vs. Tuareg in Northern Mali
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9.(C) Mali's decision to constitute militias composed of
Imghad Tuareg civilians, bandits and apparently a convicted
murderer has introduced inter-ethnic conflict into the
current crisis and given paramilitary units that are not
within the military chain of command free rein to roam
northern Mali. The militias have reportedly angered several
Malian military officers who are from northern Mali but are
not Imghad Tuaregs who fear that Col. Gamou will use the
militias to settle old scores with Ifoghas and other groups.
Allegations of government-sanctioned militias represent a
disturbing new development for the security situation in
Mali's far north. While President Toure has underlined on
many occasions his commitment to a negotiated solution, he is
clearly running out of options, which makes the need for
active and useful engagement by Algeria all the more critical.
MCCULLEY