Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BAMAKO105
2009-02-23 14:09:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bamako
Cable title:  

A TUAREG PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IN 2012?

Tags:  PGOV KDEM PREL PINR ML 
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FM AMEMBASSY BAMAKO
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RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 0570
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
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)
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