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The 2012 Tuareg-Arab Uprising in Northern Mali and Regional Actors: The Impact of Libya and Algeria

Year 2023, , 143 - 151, 30.09.2023
https://doi.org/10.18506/anemon.1310287

Abstract

Sahel’de güvenlik ve istikrarı tehdit eden temel çatışmalardan biri olan Mali’nin kuzeyindeki Tuareg-Arap ayaklanması 2015 Cezayir Barış Antlaşmasına rağmen günümüzde de devam etmektedir. Söz konusu krizin hem gelişiminde hem de çözüm çalışmalarında bölgesel aktörleri rolleri göz ardı edilemez önemdedir. Bu makale, Mali’de 2012 yılında başlayıp günümüzde ise yeniden şiddetlenerek devam eden krizin gelişimini Libya ve Cezayir’in bölgesel politikaları üzerinden incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. İki ülkenin de güney şehirlerinde çok sayıda Tuareg kabilesinin yaşaması, Mali’deki krizle yakından ilgilenip sürece dahil olmalarına neden olmuştur. Libya’nın devrik lideri Muammer Kaddafi, pan-afrikanist politikaları çerçevesinde Tuareg toplumunun en büyük destekçisi olmuştur. 1980’lerde Libya’ya sığınan Tuareg gençleri daha sonra ülkelerine dönüp 1990 ayaklanmasını başlatmakla kalmamış, bu süreç 2012 ayaklanmasının temellerini de oluşturmuştu. Tuaregler’in ruhani babası olarak Kaddafi’nin 2011’deki ani ölümü de Mali’nin kuzeyindeki 2012 isyanının temel sebepleri arasında gösterilmektedir. Öte yandan güney şehirlerinde yoğun Tuareg nüfusu bulunduran Cezayir ise yalnızca 2012 isyanında değil 1960’lardan itibaren Mali’de yaşanan ayaklanmalarda arabuluculuk görevini üstlenmiş ve 2015 yılında Mali'de Barış ve Uzlaşma Anlaşması’na ev sahipliği yapmıştır. Bu makale, söz konusu krize dair çalışmaların çoğunlukla uluslararası aktörlere odaklanmış olmasına rağmen literatürde yeterince yer bulamayan Mağrip-Sahel ilişkilerini bölgesel bir perspektiften mercek altına alması açısından önemlidir. Mali krizi etrafında bölgesel göç, Sahel jeopolitiği ve güvenlik meselelerine ek olarak post kolonyal bir perspektiften trans nasyonal kimlikler, azınlık sorunları ve bölgesel göç meselelerine değinmesi bölgeye dair kapsamlı bir anlayış sağlayacaktır.

References

  • AFP. (2012, June 24). Mali: L’Algérie estime qu’une solution “politique négociée est possible.” maliweb.net. https://www.maliweb.net/insecurite/mali-lalgerie-estime-quune-solution-politique-negociee-est-possible-75199.html
  • Arieff, A. (2012). Algeria and the Crisis in Mali (p. 5). IFRI. https://www.ifri.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/actuellesariefffinal.pdf
  • Aubry, A. (2019). Le G5 Sahel. Le Nouveau Régionalisme Sécuritaire en Afrique du Nord-Ouest.
  • Bamako, I. D. (2022, May 9). Les transitions et les scandales politico-financiers au Mali • 19 novembre 1968. Les membres du CMNL se partagent 14 millions de FM au nom de la prime de risque de vie. maliweb.net. https://www.maliweb.net/armee/les-transitions-et-les-scandales-politico-financiers-au-mali-19-novembre-1968-les-membres-du-cmnl-se-partagent-14-millions-de-fm-au-nom-de-la-prime-de-risque-de-vie-2975409.html
  • Barbet, C. (2015). Les Rébellions Touaregues au Nord du Mali: Entre idées reçues et réalités. L’Harmattan.
  • Benantar, A. (2019). Les initiatives de sécurité au Maghreb et au Sahel: Le G5 Sahel mis à l’épreuve. Editions L’Harmattan, P- 98-102.
  • Braithwaite, A. (2006). The Geographic Spread of Militarized Disputes. Journal of Peace Research, 43(5), 507–522.
  • Brooke-Smith, R. (1987). The Scramble for Africa. Macmillan Education UK. http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=084b8b909e742e0928605de06f08a117
  • Caparini, M. (2015). The Mali Crisis and Responses by Regional Actors (SSRN Scholarly Paper 2670222). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2670222
  • Collier, P., & Hoeffler, A. (2004). Greed and grievance in civil war. Oxford Economic Papers, 56(4), 563–595. https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpf064
  • Filiu, J.-P. (2009). Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb: Algerian Challenge or Global Threat? 104.
  • Fischer, A., & Kohl, I. (Eds.). (2010). Tuareg Society Within a Globalized World: Saharan Life in Transition. I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd. https://doi.org/10.5040/9780755610914
  • Galy, M. (2013). La guerre au Mali. Comprendre la crise au Sahel et au Sahara: Enjeux et zones d’ombre. La Découverte; Cairn.info. https://www.cairn.info/la-guerre-au-mali--9782707176851.htm
  • Grémont, C. (2010). Les Touaregs Iwellemmedan, 1647-1896: Un ensemble politique de la boucle du Niger. KARTHALA Editions.
  • Ki Moon, B. (2012). Report of the assessment mission on the impact of the Libyan crisis on the Sahel region. (S/2012/42). http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/% 7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/Libya%20S%202012%2042.pdf. Kurşun, Z. (Ed.). (2015). Afrikanın Asil Göçerleri Tuaregler. Taş Mektep Yayın Atölyesi.
  • Lagatta, M., Karock, U., Manrique, M., & Hakala, P. (2013). Algeria’s underused potential in security cooperation in the Sahel region (p. 18).
  • Lecocq, B., & Klute, G. (2019). Tuareg Separatism in Mali and Niger. In L. de Vries, P. Englebert, & M. Schomerus (Eds.), Secessionism in African Politics: Aspiration, Grievance, Performance, Disenchantment (pp. 23–57). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90206-7_2
  • Maïga, C. K., & Singaré, I. A. (2018). Les Rébellions au Nord du Mali:Des origines à nos jours. EDIS.
  • Mali: Enabling Dialogue with the Jihadist Coalition JNIM (Africa Report 306; p. 44). (2021). International Crisis Group. https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/sahel/mali/306-mali-enabling-dialogue-jihadist-coalition-jnim
  • Mesa, B. (2022). Les Groupes Armés du Sahel: Conflit et économie criminelle au Nord du Mali. Halfa.
  • Morgan, A. (2012). Mali’s Tuareg rebellion. The Global Dispatches. : http://www.theglobaldispatches.com/articles/malis-tuareg-rebellion
  • Poupart, P. (2017). L’Azawad comme enjeu des negociations de paix au Mali: Quel statut pour un territoire conteste ? L’Harmattan, Confluences Méditerranée(101), 17.
  • Ronen, Y. (2013). Libya, the Tuareg and Mali on the eve of the ‘Arab Spring’ and in its aftermath: An anatomy of changed relations. The Journal of North African Studies, 18(4), 544–559. https://doi.org/10.1080/13629387.2013.809660
  • Shaw, S. (2013). Fallout in the Sahel: The geographic spread of conflict from Libya to Mali. Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, 19(2), 199–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/11926422.2013.805153
  • Triaud, J.-L. (1993). Un mauvais départ: 1920, l’Air en ruines. In Nomades et Commandants: Administration et Sociétés Nomades dans l’Ancienne AOF (pp. 93–100). KARTHALA Editions.

The 2012 Tuareg-Arab Uprising in Northern Mali and Regional Actors: The Impact of Libya and Algeria

Year 2023, , 143 - 151, 30.09.2023
https://doi.org/10.18506/anemon.1310287

Abstract

Despite the peace agreement signed in Algeria in 2015, the Tuareg-Arab uprising in northern Mali is still one of the main conflicts that threaten security and stability in the Sahel. Regional actors played an undeniable role both in the development of the crisis and in the solution attempts. For this reason, this article aims to examine the development of the crisis that started in Mali in 2012 and continues today through the regional policies of Libya and Algeria. The fact that many Tuareg tribes lived in the southern cities of both countries caused them to be closely involved in the crisis in Mali and to be involved in the process. Muammar Gaddafi, the former leader of Libya, has been the biggest supporter of the Tuareg society within the framework of his pan-Africanist policies. The Tuareg youth who took refuge in Libya in the 1980s not only returned to their country and started the 1990 uprising, but also laid the foundations for the 2012 uprising. As the spiritual father of Tuaregs, Gaddafi's sudden death in 2011 is also cited as one of the main reasons for the 2012 rebellion in northern Mali. On the other hand, Algeria, which has a large Tuareg population in its southern cities, acted as a mediator not only in the 2012 uprising but also in the uprisings in Mali since the 1960s . They hosted the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement in Mali in 2015. This article is important in that it examines Maghreb-Sahel relations from a regional perspective, which cannot find enough space in the literature where existing studies on the crisis mostly focus on international actors. By evaluating transnational identities, minority issues and regional migration from a postcolonial perspective in supplement to political mobilization and regional security issues around the Mali crisis, this paper will provide a comprehensive understanding of the region.

References

  • AFP. (2012, June 24). Mali: L’Algérie estime qu’une solution “politique négociée est possible.” maliweb.net. https://www.maliweb.net/insecurite/mali-lalgerie-estime-quune-solution-politique-negociee-est-possible-75199.html
  • Arieff, A. (2012). Algeria and the Crisis in Mali (p. 5). IFRI. https://www.ifri.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/actuellesariefffinal.pdf
  • Aubry, A. (2019). Le G5 Sahel. Le Nouveau Régionalisme Sécuritaire en Afrique du Nord-Ouest.
  • Bamako, I. D. (2022, May 9). Les transitions et les scandales politico-financiers au Mali • 19 novembre 1968. Les membres du CMNL se partagent 14 millions de FM au nom de la prime de risque de vie. maliweb.net. https://www.maliweb.net/armee/les-transitions-et-les-scandales-politico-financiers-au-mali-19-novembre-1968-les-membres-du-cmnl-se-partagent-14-millions-de-fm-au-nom-de-la-prime-de-risque-de-vie-2975409.html
  • Barbet, C. (2015). Les Rébellions Touaregues au Nord du Mali: Entre idées reçues et réalités. L’Harmattan.
  • Benantar, A. (2019). Les initiatives de sécurité au Maghreb et au Sahel: Le G5 Sahel mis à l’épreuve. Editions L’Harmattan, P- 98-102.
  • Braithwaite, A. (2006). The Geographic Spread of Militarized Disputes. Journal of Peace Research, 43(5), 507–522.
  • Brooke-Smith, R. (1987). The Scramble for Africa. Macmillan Education UK. http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=084b8b909e742e0928605de06f08a117
  • Caparini, M. (2015). The Mali Crisis and Responses by Regional Actors (SSRN Scholarly Paper 2670222). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2670222
  • Collier, P., & Hoeffler, A. (2004). Greed and grievance in civil war. Oxford Economic Papers, 56(4), 563–595. https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpf064
  • Filiu, J.-P. (2009). Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb: Algerian Challenge or Global Threat? 104.
  • Fischer, A., & Kohl, I. (Eds.). (2010). Tuareg Society Within a Globalized World: Saharan Life in Transition. I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd. https://doi.org/10.5040/9780755610914
  • Galy, M. (2013). La guerre au Mali. Comprendre la crise au Sahel et au Sahara: Enjeux et zones d’ombre. La Découverte; Cairn.info. https://www.cairn.info/la-guerre-au-mali--9782707176851.htm
  • Grémont, C. (2010). Les Touaregs Iwellemmedan, 1647-1896: Un ensemble politique de la boucle du Niger. KARTHALA Editions.
  • Ki Moon, B. (2012). Report of the assessment mission on the impact of the Libyan crisis on the Sahel region. (S/2012/42). http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/% 7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/Libya%20S%202012%2042.pdf. Kurşun, Z. (Ed.). (2015). Afrikanın Asil Göçerleri Tuaregler. Taş Mektep Yayın Atölyesi.
  • Lagatta, M., Karock, U., Manrique, M., & Hakala, P. (2013). Algeria’s underused potential in security cooperation in the Sahel region (p. 18).
  • Lecocq, B., & Klute, G. (2019). Tuareg Separatism in Mali and Niger. In L. de Vries, P. Englebert, & M. Schomerus (Eds.), Secessionism in African Politics: Aspiration, Grievance, Performance, Disenchantment (pp. 23–57). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90206-7_2
  • Maïga, C. K., & Singaré, I. A. (2018). Les Rébellions au Nord du Mali:Des origines à nos jours. EDIS.
  • Mali: Enabling Dialogue with the Jihadist Coalition JNIM (Africa Report 306; p. 44). (2021). International Crisis Group. https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/sahel/mali/306-mali-enabling-dialogue-jihadist-coalition-jnim
  • Mesa, B. (2022). Les Groupes Armés du Sahel: Conflit et économie criminelle au Nord du Mali. Halfa.
  • Morgan, A. (2012). Mali’s Tuareg rebellion. The Global Dispatches. : http://www.theglobaldispatches.com/articles/malis-tuareg-rebellion
  • Poupart, P. (2017). L’Azawad comme enjeu des negociations de paix au Mali: Quel statut pour un territoire conteste ? L’Harmattan, Confluences Méditerranée(101), 17.
  • Ronen, Y. (2013). Libya, the Tuareg and Mali on the eve of the ‘Arab Spring’ and in its aftermath: An anatomy of changed relations. The Journal of North African Studies, 18(4), 544–559. https://doi.org/10.1080/13629387.2013.809660
  • Shaw, S. (2013). Fallout in the Sahel: The geographic spread of conflict from Libya to Mali. Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, 19(2), 199–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/11926422.2013.805153
  • Triaud, J.-L. (1993). Un mauvais départ: 1920, l’Air en ruines. In Nomades et Commandants: Administration et Sociétés Nomades dans l’Ancienne AOF (pp. 93–100). KARTHALA Editions.
There are 25 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects International Relations (Other)
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Ülkü Çiçek 0000-0001-6233-8785

Early Pub Date September 29, 2023
Publication Date September 30, 2023
Acceptance Date September 25, 2023
Published in Issue Year 2023

Cite

APA Çiçek, Ü. (2023). The 2012 Tuareg-Arab Uprising in Northern Mali and Regional Actors: The Impact of Libya and Algeria. Anemon Muş Alparslan Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 11(Afrika), 143-151. https://doi.org/10.18506/anemon.1310287

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