NEW MILITIA GROUP ALLEGEDLY BEHIND MURDER OF FOUR

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAMAKO 000778

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/09/2018
TAGS: ASEC PINS PINR PHUM ML
SUBJECT: NEW MILITIA GROUP ALLEGEDLY BEHIND MURDER OF FOUR
TUAREGS SOUTH OF GAO

REF: A. BAMAKO 00435

B. BAMAKO 00482

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

1.(U) Malian authorities and Tuareg leaders are accusing a
previously unknown militia group, composed primarily of
ethnic Peuhls, of executing four Tuaregs on September 1 in
the village of Hourala, south of Ansongo near the Malian
border with Niger. Three of the murdered individuals were
Imghad Tuaregs. The fourth victim was a D'Aouissahak Tuareg.
The names of three of the victims (Rhissa ag Intawin,
Zeynudin ag Sidiya and Attaher ag Erheq) have been published
on various Tuareg websites.

2.(U) On September 3 security forces in Gao reportedly
arrested one member of the National Guard and one Gendarme
believed to be implicated in the killings. Six other
individuals were arrested on September 5. Authorities allege
the arrested individuals belong to a new militia called the
Ganda-Izo, which is a spin-off of the Gandakoy militia which
targeted ethnic Tuaregs and Arabs during northern Mali's
1991-1996 rebellion. The Ganda-Izo group appears to be
composed primarily of ethnic Peuhls. The leader of the
Ganda-Izo is Amadou Diallo, who was also a key member of the
Gandakoy.

3.(C) On September 9 presidential insider Kader Bah
confirmed much of what has been published in the Malian press
and on Tuareg websites regarding the killings. Bah said
Diallo and the Ganda-Izo were hoping to insert themselves
into the Algiers Accords process by emulating Ibrahim Bahanga
and that the September 1 killings were in response to damage
to Peuhl property and animals during the May 12 attack, led
by Imghad Tuaregs, against the Malian gendarme base in
Ansongo (Ref. A). Bah told the Embassy that Diallo had
called him, either from Gao or Ansongo, to take credit for
the killings and accuse the para-military group of Imghad
Tuaregs led by Col. ElHadj Gamou of harassing Peuhls in the
Ansongo area. Diallo reportedly said that after the
September 1 killings Gamou's militia arrested members of
Diallo's family and buried them in holes up to their necks.
Diallo also warned that he had several hundred armed Peuhl
followers and rejected Bah's suggestion that he turn himself
into authorities.

4.(C) Comment: At the moment, the impact of the Hourala
murders on the Algiers Accords process appear minimal. This
could be due to the Malian government's quick response, the
distance between Ansongo and Kidal, or the fact that Imghad
Tuaregs are not central to the Algiers peace process and
have, through Col. Gamou, aligned themselves with the Malian
government (Ref. B). At the same time, it appears that a new
armed militia has joined the other groups already roaming
northern Mali.
LEONARD