A TUAREG PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IN 2012?

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAMAKO 000105 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2019 TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL PINR ML SUBJECT: A TUAREG PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IN 2012? Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson, Embassy Bamako, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 1.(C) On February 19 presidential advisor Acherif ag Mohamed told the Embassy that he was considering running for the Malian presidency in 2012. Although Acherif still has three years to mull over his potential candidacy, he would be Mali's first Tuareg presidential candidate which, Acherif fully admits, is why he would like to run. Mali's first female presidential candidate, Aminata Diallo Sidibe, garnered half of one percent of the presidential vote in July 2007 but still managed to land on her feet when newly re-elected President Amadou Toumani Toure named Sidibe as Minister of Basic Education. Acherif said he was not looking for a Ministerial post - he refused one during the 1990s - and was not expecting to win. He said he wanted simply to earn a "respectable" number of votes as a message of solidarity and reconciliation between northern and southern Mali. 2.(C) Acherif is not a political operator and has no links to local political parties. The main hurdle, however, is not political support but financial backing as the registration fee for presidential candidates in 2007 was USD 20,000 and may well be higher in 2012. Acherif, who was once the Malian consul in Tamanrasset, said he had already approached Algerian Embassy officials to inquire about potential financial support. He is also considering soliciting Libyan support although he is not a fan of Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi. Tuareg rebel Alliance for Democracy and Change (ADC) spokesman Ahmada ag Bibi also reportedly approached the French Embassy to inquire about possible support for a symbolic Tuareg candidacy from that quarter. According to Acherif, the French indicated interest but said they could not discuss it further without knowing the identity of the potential candidate - something ag Bibi declined to provide. Acherif asked us not to mention his presidential candidacy aspirations to other diplomatic or Malian colleagues. 3.(C) Comment: Acherif is a presidential advisor without portfolio at the presidency. Although he is an Ifoghas Tuareg from Kidal, he has played no discernible role in recent negotiations with Tuareg rebels in Kidal. He appears sincere in his desire to be the first Malian Tuareg presidential candidate, even though 2012 is quite a long way of. As interesting as it would be to see a Kidal Tureg on the Malian presidential ballot, his assesment of his chances of winning anything more tha a minuscule portion of the vote is accurate. ILOVANOVIC