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