Disputed Desert: Decolonisation, Competing Nationalisms and Tuareg Rebellions in Northern Mali

469 Pages·2010·3.543 MB·English

by  Baz Lecocq

Disputed Desert
Afrika-Studiecentrum Series
EditorialBoard
Dr Piet Konings(AfricanStudiesCentre,Leiden)
Dr Paul Mathieu(FAO-SDAA,Rome)
Prof. Deborah Posel(UniversityofWitwatersrand,Johannesburg)
Prof. Nicolas van de Walle(CornellUniversity,USA)
Dr Ruth Watson(NewnhamCollege,Cambridge)
VOLUME19
Disputed Desert
Decolonisation, Competing Nationalisms and Tuareg
Rebellions in Northern Mali
By
Baz Lecocq
LEIDEN•BOSTON
2010
Coverpicture:paintingofTamasheqrebelsandtheircar,paintedbyaTamasheqboyduringthe
mid-1990sinoneoftherefugeecampsacrosstheMalianborders.Thesepaintingsweresoldin
FrancebyprivateNGOstosupporttherefugees.
Epigraphy:TerryPratchett,SoulMusic.CorgiBooks,1995,ISBN0552140295,pp.108–109.
Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaper.
ISSN 1570-9310
ISBN 9789004139831
Copyright2010byKoninklijkeBrillNV,Leiden,TheNetherlands.
KoninklijkeBrillNVincorporatestheimprintsBrill,HoteiPublishing,
IDCPublishers,MartinusNijhoffPublishersandVSP.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,translated,storedin
aretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,
photocopying,recordingorotherwise,withoutpriorwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher.
Brillhasmadeallreasonableeffortstotraceallrightholderstoanycopyrightedmaterialused
inthiswork.Incaseswheretheseeffortshavenotbeensuccessfulthepublisherwelcomes
communicationsfromcopyrightholders,sothattheappropriateacknowledgementscanbe
madeinfutureeditions,andtosettleotherpermissionmatters.
AuthorizationtophotocopyitemsforinternalorpersonaluseisgrantedbyKoninklijkeBrillNV
providedthattheappropriatefeesarepaiddirectlytoTheCopyrightClearanceCenter,
222RosewoodDrive,Suite910,Danvers,MA01923,USA.
Feesaresubjecttochange.
UpuntilthattimetheD"regs,acollectionofcheerfullywarlikenomadictribes,
hadroamedthedesertquitefreely.Nowtherewasaline,theyweresometimes
Klatchian D"regs and sometimes Hershebian D"regs, with all the rights due to
citizens of both states, particularly the right to pay just as much tax as could
be squeezed out of them and be drafted in to fight wars against people they’d
never heard of. So as a result of the dotted line Klatch was now incipiently at
war with Hersheba and the D"regs, Hersheba was at war with the D"regs and
Klatch,andtheD"regswereatwarwith everyone,includingoneanother,and
havingconsiderablefunbecausetheD"regwordfor‘stranger’wasthesameasfor
‘target’.
–TerryPratchett,SoulMusic
Thisisnoaffairforaboywhosayshestudiedhistoryandpretendstoknow
–CheickagAoussa,F-

Contents
Listofphotos.................................................................. xi
Listoftables................................................................... xiii
Acknowledgements........................................................... xv
Onterminology,spellingandpronunciation................................ xix
Listofterminology ........................................................... xxi
Abbreviationsandacronyms ................................................. xxv
Anoverviewofthemovements .............................................. xxvii
Sources........................................................................ xxix
MapofNorthernMali........................................................xxxiii
Introduction .................................................................. 1
KelTamasheqpolitics .................................................... 3
Anethnographyofhistoricalresearch................................... 16
Areader’sguidetothisbook............................................. 22
.CreatingMali............................................................... 27
Competingnationalisms ................................................. 29
FromSoudanFrançaistotheMaliRepublic ............................ 31
PartypoliticsinSoudanFrançais ........................................ 35
Internationalcomplications.............................................. 47
CreatingMali............................................................. 69
Coercion,resistanceandcontrol......................................... 80
Epilogue................................................................... 85
viii contents
.Race,stereotypesandpolitics.............................................. 87
Colonialimages........................................................... 91
Race....................................................................... 93
Thebellahquestion....................................................... 108
TheslavetradetoMecca ................................................. 116
Lesguerriersdessables.................................................... 127
Nomadanarchy........................................................... 131
Epilogue................................................................... 133
.Mali’smissioncivilisatrice.................................................. 135
RulingtheNorth ......................................................... 138
Thechiefs’question....................................................... 143
Thenomadproblem...................................................... 151
Therevenues:Cattleandtax ............................................. 164
FearandrumoursinKidal:Thebuilduptorebellion ................... 169
Epilogue................................................................... 178
.Alfellaga..................................................................... 181
Acontinuumofresistance ............................................... 184
Alfellaga................................................................... 187
Raids,skirmishesandambushes......................................... 200
Aqqa,ortherulesofconflict............................................. 203
Repressionandretaliation................................................ 208
Thelastmonths........................................................... 219
Epilogue................................................................... 221
.Revolution:TeshumaraandTanekra(–)........................ 227
Teshumara ................................................................ 229
Ishumarlife ............................................................... 246
AlternativestotheTeshumara............................................ 254
Tanekra ................................................................... 258
OrganisingtheTanekra,anarrative...................................... 272
ThelateryearsoftheTanekra ............................................ 291
Epilogue................................................................... 292
contents ix
.Rebellion:Al-Jebha(–) .......................................... 295
The‘real’rebellion:JunetoDecember............................. 299
The‘confused’rebellion:JanuarytoFebruary ............... 311
MastersoftheLand:FebruarytoOctober......................... 331
Thereturnofpeace:OctobertoMarch...................... 353
.Conclusions ................................................................ 365
Decolonisation,thestateandnationalism............................... 366
Stereotypes,nationandrace ............................................. 369
Alastquestion............................................................ 372
Epilogue....................................................................... 375
References..................................................................... 403
Index .......................................................................... 421