NORTHERN MALI POLICE BLOTTER: ONE CARJACKING AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAMAKO 000639

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/08/2018
TAGS: ASEC PINS PINR ML
SUBJECT: NORTHERN MALI POLICE BLOTTER: ONE CARJACKING AND
TWO DRUG DEALS

REF: A. BAMAKO 00414

B. 07 BAMAKO 00960

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

1.(U) There were two clashes between alleged drug smugglers
in northern Mali during the weekend of July 4, and one
vehicle belonging to a USAID contractor Geekcorps was
car-jacked. Bandits stationed along the road from Gao and
Timbuktu, between the villages of Temera and Bourem,
car-jacked the Geekcorps 4x4 on the morning of July 1. The
bandits escaped with the vehicle and CFA 1.3 million (about
USD 3,000) in project money. None of the six Geekcorps
employees in the vehicle were harmed, although they were left
to walk 15 kilometers to the nearest village to obtain help.
No USAID employees or American citizens were traveling with
the vehicle. The Malian authorities have been notified and
there are some reports placing the stolen vehicle near the
village of Almoustarat. It is unclear whether the hijackers
were Tuaregs, Arabs, or members of another ethnic group.

2.(C) During the weekend of July 4 there were two reported
clashes between drug runners and Tuareg "rebels" in the
region of Kidal along the Algerian frontier. The first
incident occurred near the town of In Khalil and pitted a
group of Arab and Tuareg traffickers against Tuaregs led by
another well-known trafficker turned part-time rebel, Merzouk
ag Acherif (see Ref. A). Two individuals were reportedly
killed during the skirmish and negotiations between the
traffickers and Merzouk continue.

3.(C) A separate incident involving traffickers and Tuaregs
loyal to Ibrahim Bahanga occurred east of Kidal, near the
frontier with Niger. A group of Bahanga's men led by Rhissa
Doudou - member of the same Tuareg Ifergoumessen fraction as
Bahanga - working with Kounta Arabs ambushed several
Berabiche drug traffickers carrying as much as CFA 200
million (USD 475,000). Northern contacts report that
subsequent negotiations between the Berabiche traffickers,
Doudou and allied Kounta Arabs resulted in a three-way
division of the cash.

4.(C) Comment: Clashes over guns, drugs and enormous sums of
cash in northern Mali are not unusual. Unlike some previous
northern Malian drug deals gone bad (Ref. B),there are no
indications that any rogue members of the Malian security
forces were involved in last week's incidents. Carjacking of
four wheel drive vehicles, particularly along the road
between Gao and Timbuktu, is also not uncommon although this
is the first USAID partner vehicle stolen in 2008. These
incidents do not necessarily indicate an up-tick in
insecurity the north (and are all covered in existing
consular caution and warning messages). Rather, they serve
as a reminder of (1) the difficulties of policing such a vast
and sparsely populated zone; and (2) that for many Tuareg
"rebels" like Merzouk and Doudou, harassing the Malian
military is a part-time diversion from their full-time job
trafficking drugs, guns and contraband across the Sahara.
LEONARD