The Tuareg Crisis in Mali

It has been over a week now since Tuaregs in Mali began running from the hostilities that engulfed their homes. The numbers were up to 60,000 people a few days ago, and rising -- half of them internally displaced. Population figures for Tuaregs in Mali are very difficult to calculate accurately for many reasons, but 60,000 may be close to 80-90% of the entire Tuareg population in Mali.

The media keep advertising the rebellion as the main reason that people had to leave. But there were many important contributing factors that had been brewing for a long time before the rebellion started in mid-January. The hostilities that generated militias, mobs, looting, and even genocidal actions have been developing over a long time.

At the base, Mali is a poor country, largely desert, and basic food and land resources are scarce for many people -- even though the country has significant energy resources. Climate change and droughts have increased the problems for subsistence farmers, and especially for pastoralists trying to survive in the expanding desert. The past year has been particularly difficult because of recurrent drought and famine. The social inequalities that have plagued Mali since Independence have not been solved; they emerged in the colonial era and have persisted. Corruption exists in every country; but it has the most disastrous effects in countries such as Mali where people are deprived of development because of it. Major world powers and corporations are actors in this crisis, too.

All of these things are contributing factors to the crisis in Mali.

Rebellions are something that people do when they cannot do anything within a system to improve their dire situation. We do not want to pass judgment one way or the other, but it is important to understand the big picture that explains why people are doing what they are doing. It is important to recognize all of the factors that have contributed to the refugee situation. The refugees had to run because they were helpless in the face of all these factors. They need water and food right now -- but they need much more than the means to survive. They need to find a way to go home and return to normal life, with dignity. And they need to feel safe, and protected from hate and hostility.

Ultimately, it's going to take resolution of some of these other factors. There are some things that people cannot change -- for example, the long-term climate change that is affecting farming and pastoralism. But people can change the way they are making decisions about other things. The people at the bottom have little power to effectuate any major change. What is needed is a change of direction on the part of government leaders, major world powers, and corporations. Change must come from the top.

-- Barbara A. Worley, Ph.D.

Anthropologist, The University of Massachusetts, Boston

Malian Refugees - Current Situation

Malian Refugees - Current Situation:

(Summary, in English)
Jeune Afrique (Baba Ahmed) Interview with Assilakane Ag Intereouit, president of the regional committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
1. 30,000 internally displaced refugees in Mali, including:
2. 26,000 are around Menaka (region of Gao)
3. 4,000 are around Aguelhok (region of Kidal)
4. an undetermined number are around Timbuktu
5. an undetermined number are in the open desert without water and food
6. The situation is critical
7. Red Cross is conducting census of displaced people around Tessalit; this will inflate the numbers
8. Red Cross first does a census before intervening with aid
9. At Aguelhok, the Red Cross has distributed: 4 tons of cooking oil, tomatoes, lentils, pasta, and also: blankets, mats, and mosquito nets [to protect against malaria]
10. At Tessalit, the Red Cross has distributed: warm winter clothing for the children, and cooking oil
11. What is most urgent:
12. We need: medicine for headaches, palpitations, fatigue, stress
13. We need: medicine for the prevention of epidemics
14. At Kidal: the situation in the refugee camps is alarming
15. At Tessalit: the situation is alarming, especially 25 km south of there where the population has gathered, and there is nothing there
16. The Algerian border: 2,000 displaced of the Al Khalil group, 18 km from the border
17. At Aguelhok: 4,000 people are installed in 4 locations around this ghost town
18. At Timbuktu: the situation is similar to Aguelhok
19. In the open desert: some make-shift refugee camps are in the open desert
20. Red Cross has freedom to move around and go to displaced populations, and this is a very good thing
21. Malian government: has donated 10 tons of grain in Aguelhok, and 3 tons in Tessalit, but it is far from being enough
22. [Red Cross] "I suppose that the state [Malian government] has slowed its aid because of the upsurge in fighting."

Propos recueillis par Baba Ahmed, à Bamako, February 11, 2012 at 11h:58

http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAWEB20120211113856/mali-rebellion-touaregue-touareg-aide-humanitairecrise-humanitaire-au-nord-mali-la-situation-dans-les-camps-de-deplaces-est-alarmante.html

The Tuareg Crisis In Mali

It has been over a week now since Tuaregs in Mali began running from the hostilities that engulfed their homes. The numbers were up to 60,000 people a few days ago, and rising -- half of them internally displaced. Population figures for Tuaregs in Mali are very difficult to calculate accurately for many reasons, but 60,000 may be anywhere from 60-80% of the entire Tuareg population in Mali.

The media keep advertising the rebellion as the main reason that people had to leave. But there were many important contributing factors that had been brewing for a long time before the rebellion started in mid-January. The hostilities that generated militias, mobs, looting, and even genocidal actions have been developing over a long time.

At the base, Mali is a poor country, largely desert, and basic food and land resources are scarce for many people -- even though the country has significant energy resources. Climate change and droughts have increased the problems for subsistence farmers, and especially for pastoralists trying to survive in the expanding desert. The past year has been particularly difficult because of recurrent drought and famine. The social inequalities that have plagued Mali since Independence have not been solved; they emerged in the colonial era and have persisted. Corruption exists in every country; but it has the most disastrous effects in countries such as Mali where people are deprived of development because of it. Major world powers and corporations are actors in this crisis, too.

All of these things are contributing factors to the crisis in Mali.

Rebellions are something that people do when they cannot do anything within a system to improve their dire situation. We do not want to pass judgment one way or the other, but it is important to understand the big picture that explains why people are doing what they are doing. It is important to recognize all of the factors that have contributed to the refugee situation. The refugees had to run because they were helpless in the face of all these factors. They need water and food right now -- but they need much more than the means to survive. They need to find a way to go home and return to normal life, with dignity. And they need to feel safe, and protected from hate and hostility.

Ultimately, it's going to take resolution of some of these other factors. There are some things that people cannot change -- for example, the long-term climate change that is affecting farming and pastoralism. But people can change the way they are making decisions about other things. The people at the bottom have little power to effectuate any major change. What is needed is a change of direction on the part of government leaders, major world powers, and corporations. Change must come from the top.

-- Barbara Worley, Ph.D. Anthropologist, the University of Massachusetts at Boston

Call for National Dialogue, Issues of the North in Niger

Attayoub Abdoulahi, who is President of the organization Temoust (Tuareg Cultural Survival), and is a Tuareg from Niger, has written a new editorial in French (March 1, 2010) concerning the recent coup d’état in the Republic of Niger. What follows is a summary.

CLICK HERE FOR ORIGINAL EDITORIAL IN FRENCH

The elimination of Tandja as the country’s president does not mean that democracy is being “restored,” since there has never been a true democracy in Niger. Force is not necessarily the best way to overcome the shortcomings of the political leadership. The coup may produce more problems than it can solve, since it reinforces the widespread belief that change can not happen through democratic channels.

What Niger needs is an understanding of the root cause of the country’s instability, and the fact that the political elites have not been capable of establishing rules of governance that are shared by the entire population – rules that could be defended against any potential usurper.

The only way that the current political class will stop wallowing in its contradictions, keeping the country in a state of chronic instability, is if the transition government acts from an enlightened and patriotic perspective, through a major overhaul of the Republic.

Much depends on the personality of the new head of state, who must realize that he will be taking on a challenge with history. His credibility will be measured by his capacity to shed the image of a facilitator in the service of a clan, and demonstrate that he is acting in the interest of the entire country, and all of its peoples.

Genuine political reform would involve a redistribution of the cards, and a renewal of the political class – not just tossing the word “democracy” around, but making the effort to define what we mean by democracy, creating rules of governance such that every Nigerien will feel represented and protected by the country’s institutions.

Without a sustainable, quality foundation that is resistant to the vagaries of cyclical policies, we are just “making braids on top of lice,” (alataf fel chilken), as the Tuareg saying goes. Nigeriens need to see the country moving toward a better tomorrow.

The struggle against institutionalized corruption is a priority at all levels of government. Justice must find a way to end the culture of impunity. One’s membership in a sociocultural group must not be a handicap, nor a springboard for personal success.

We do not feel that the transition government should be hurried toward elections. We are once again at a crossroads that might lead toward a better tomorrow, but the worst is always possible.

We need time to conduct a broad national consultation, whose findings could be used to draft a new constitution. We need a broad national dialogue, debates without taboos or fallout.

This must address the issue of the North in a spirit of reconciliation and nation building. A working group could undertake to do an inventory on issues of the North, and propose areas to be discussed at a national forum.

A definitive resolution of issues of the North is all the more urgent, since the geopolitical context is becoming increasingly threatening. Niger cannot afford to maintain internal bickering that exposes the country to all sorts of impulses.

New book, by Tuareg author Mohamed Ahamok

Image may not be used without permission
of Mohamed Ahamok, copyright 2008

Mohamed Ahamok, a Tuareg author from the In Gall region of northern Niger, has published a new book in English, Tuareg Short Stories.

In this book, Mohamed recounts stories told in his family's nomad camp in the In Gall region of Niger. Some of the stories are traditional tales, and others are stories fashioned by Tuareg storytellers.

Many stories center about the animals found in the Sahara and Sahel -- camels, lions and hyenas. There are stories of beautiful women and kings. Some are moral tales ending in a proverb. You won't want to miss the surprise endings, characteristic of the Tuaregs' unique sense of wit and humor!

The book is an excellent addition to any Tuareg literature collection, and is suitable for children, as well.

The first few pages of the book may be previewed online, and the book may be purchased HERE:

Price $24.95

(Copyright Mohamed Ahamok 2008)