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Ansar Dine

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This article is about the Islamist group based in Mali. For the Islamist group based in Syria, see Ansar al-Din Front. For the Sufi-based organization, see Chérif Ousmane Madani Haïdara.

Ansar Dine
Dates of operation2012 (2012)–2017 (2017)
Active regionsMali
Senegal
Mauritania
IdeologySalafi jihadism
Salafi movement
OpponentsState opponents

Non-state opponents

Battles and warsInsurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)

Ansar Dine (Arabic: أنصار الدين ʾAnṣār ad-Dīn, also transliterated Ançar Deen), meaning "helpers of the religion" (Islam)[2] (Defenders of the Faith[3]) and also known as Ansar al-Din (abbreviated as AAD),[4] was a Salafi jihadist group led by Iyad Ag Ghaly. Ansar Dine sought to impose absolute sharia across Mali.[5][6] The group took over the city of Timbuktu in 2012, which prompted the French-led intervention, Operation Serval.[7]

The organization is not to be confused with the Sufi movement Ançar Dine, founded in Southern Mali in the 1990s by Chérif Ousmane Madani Haïdara, which is fundamentally opposed to militant Islamism.[8][9] Ansar Dine is opposed to Sufi shrines, and it has destroyed a number of such shrines.[10]

Ansar Dine was active from March 2012 until March 2017, when it merged with other militant Islamist groups to form Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin.[11]

Organization

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Membership

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Ansar Dine has its main base among the Ifora tribe from the southern part of the Tuaregs' homeland.[citation needed] It has been linked with Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) because its leader Iyad Ag Ghaly is the cousin of AQIM commander Hamada Ag Hama.[6] In April 2012, Salma Belaala, a professor at Warwick University who does research on jihadism in North Africa said that this association was false, claiming that Ansar Dine was opposed to Al Qaeda.[12] Ag Ghaly was also previously associated with the 1990 Tuareg rebellion.[6] The group's members are reported to come from Mali, Algeria, and Nigeria.[13] Omar Ould Hamaha, who served as Ansar Dine's spokesman after April 2012, became the military leader of the AQIM-affiliated Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA) in August 2012.[14]

On 24 January 2013, a faction which called itself the Islamic Movement for the Azawad split from Ansar Dine. As of January 2013, this group was led by the prominent Tuareg leader Alghabass Ag Intalla.[15][16]

In March 2013, it was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. Department of State,[17] and similarly classed as a terrorist organization by the United Nations Security Council.[18] and Iraq in 2019.[19]

Command structure

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In Mopti, the Ansar Dine fighters obtained access to heavy construction equipment from fleeing construction workers and used it to build fighting positions. The fighting positions included an elaborate tunnel network and vehicular obstacles such as trenches.[20]

Weapons

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Ansar Dine jihadi technical in Timbuktu in 2012.

Ansar Dine has reportedly put together at least one convoy of 100 vehicles carrying soldiers equipped with small arms.[21] There have also been rumors that fighters may have been able to obtain weapons from Libya's weapons depots after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.[22] The Ansar Dine arsenal also includes anti aircraft weapons which can be mounted on pickup trucks.[23][24]

Ideology

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The group seeks to impose sharia law across Mali, including the Azawad region. Witnesses have said that Ansar Dine fighters wear long beards and fly black flags with the shahada (Islamic creed) emblazoned in white.[25][26][27] According to different reports, unlike the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), Ansar Dine does not seek independence but rather to keep Mali intact and convert it into a rigid theocracy.[28][29]

Participation in 2012 northern Mali conflict

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Main article: Tuareg rebellion (2012)

March 2012

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On 21 March 2012, the group claimed control of Mali's vast northeast regions. The Agence France-Presse reported that Ansar Dine claimed to occupy the towns of Tinzaouaten, Tessalit, and Aguelhok, all close to the Algerian border, and that they had captured at least 110 civilian and military prisoners.[30] France accused the group of summarily executing 82 soldiers and civilians in capturing Aguelhok, describing the group's tactics as "Al-Qaeda-style".[30]

On 22 March, mutineering Malian soldiers unhappy with Amadou Toumani Touré overthrew the Malian government in a coup d'état. Taking advantage of Malian disarray, Ansar Dine and MNLA proceeded to take the towns of Kidal, Gao, and Timbuktu within the following ten days. According to Jeremy Keenan of the School of Oriental and African Studies, Ansar Dine's military contribution was slight compared to the much larger MNLA: "What seems to happen is that when they move into a town, the MNLA take out the military base—not that there's much resistance—and Iyad [Ag Aghaly] goes into town and puts up his flag and starts bossing everyone around about sharia law".[31]

April 2012

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On 3 April, the BBC reported that the group had started implementing Sharia law in Timbuktu.[28] That day, Ag Ghaly gave a radio interview in Timbuktu announcing that Sharia would be enforced in the city, including the veiling of women, the stoning of adulterers, and the punitive mutilation of thieves. According to Timbuktu's mayor, the announcement caused nearly all of Timbuktu's Christian population to flee the city.[32] On 6 April, the MNLA issued a declaration of independence. However, the military wing of Ansar Dine rejected it hours after it was issued.[33]

May 2012

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Ansar Dine was reportedly responsible for the burning of the tomb of the Sufi saint Sidi Mahmoud Ben Amar, a World Heritage Site, on 4 May in Timbuktu.[10] The group also blocked a humanitarian convoy bringing medical and food aid from reaching Timbuktu on 15 May, objecting to the presence of women in the welcoming committee set up by city residents;[34] after negotiations, the convoy was released on the following day.[35] In Gao, the group reportedly banned video games, Malian and Western music, bars, and football.[34]

On 26 May, the MNLA and Ansar Dine announced a pact in which they would merge to form an Islamist state called the "Islamic Republic of Azawad".[36]

June 2012

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However, some later reports indicated that the MNLA had decided to withdraw from the pact, distancing itself from Ansar Dine.[37][38] MNLA and Ansar Dine continued to clash,[39] culminating in the Battle of Gao on 27 June, in which Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa and Ansar Dine took control of the city, driving out the MNLA. The following day, Ansar Dine announced that it was in control of all the cities of northern Mali.[40]

July 2012

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In the summer of 2012, members of Ansar Dine broke down the doors of the Sidi Yahya Mosque, which, according to legend, were not to be opened until the Last Days. They claimed that reverence for the site was idolatrous, but offered roughly $100 U.S. dollars to repair the mosque.[41]

November 2012

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Ansar Dine and MNLA in Ouagadougou, with Blaise Compaoré, 16 November 2012

Ansar Dine was in peace talks with Mali's neighbours Burkina Faso and Algeria.[42]

January 2013

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In late January 2013, during the French Operation Serval against the Islamist fighters in Northern Mali, a faction split off from Ansar Dine, led by Alghabass Ag Intalla(h). It calls itself the Islamic Movement of Azawad (MIA) and claims to be ready for negotiations and to reject extremism and terrorism as well as any association with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.[43][44][45]

March 2017

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In March 2017, Iyad Ag Ghaly appeared in a video alongside leaders from the Saharan branch of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Al-Mourabitoun and the Macina Liberation Front, in which it was announced their groups were merging under Ag Ghaly's leadership, in an organisation called Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin.[1][11]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Al-Qaeda now has a united front in Africa's troubled Sahel region". Newsweek. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  2. ^ "Timbuktu taken as Mali junta signals talks". Agence France-Presse. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  3. ^ Klare, Michael (2019). All Hell Breaking Loose (1st ed.). New York: Metropolitian Books. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-62779-248-6.
  4. ^ "American commandos face complicated mission in Mali". Army Times. 18 September 2017.
  5. ^ "AFP: Armed Islamist group claims control in northeast Mali". 20 April 2012. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "Islamist fighters call for Sharia law in Mali". Agence France-Presse. 13 March 2012. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  7. ^ "Ban Ki-moon met en garde contre une intervention au Mali" [Ban Ki-moon warns against intervention in Mali]. Le Monde.fr (in French). 29 November 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  8. ^ "2012 - Society - Qantara.de". En.qantara.de. 19 December 2012. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  9. ^ Flood, Derek Henry (24 July 2012), "Between Islamization and Secession: The Contest for Northern Mali", CTC Sentinel, Combating Terrorism Center, archived from the original on 2 May 2017, retrieved 12 January 2013
  10. ^ a b "Rebels burn Timbuktu tomb listed as U.N. World Heritage site". CNN. 6 May 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  11. ^ a b "Islamic extremist groups to merge in Mali, pledge allegiance to al-Quaida". Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  12. ^ Lister, Tim (13 April 2012). "Disaster looms for people of Mali as country is split by revolt". CNN. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  13. ^ Diallo, Tiemoko; Diarra, Adama (1 July 2012). "Mali Islamists destroy more holy Timbuktu sites". Reuters. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  14. ^ Thiolay, Boris (3–9 October 2012), "Le djihad du "Barbu rouge"", L'Express (in French), pp. 40–41
  15. ^ Sudarsan Raghavan and Edward Cody (25 January 2013). "French troops face complicated military landscape in Mali". The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  16. ^ Polgreen, Lydia (24 January 2013). "Faction Splits From Ansar Dine in Northern Mali". The New York Times.
  17. ^ "Terrorist Designations of Ansar al-Dine". United States Department of State. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  18. ^ "Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities QE.A.135.13. ANSAR EDDINE". United Nations. 21 March 2013. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  19. ^ "الموضوع" [the topic] (PDF). moj.gov.iq (in Arabic).
  20. ^ "Ansar Dine Mali | Africa - News and Analysis". Africajournalismtheworld.com. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  21. ^ "Qaeda, Ansar Dine convoy headed for assault on Malian town: sources". English.alarabiya.net. 5 January 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  22. ^ Riedel, Bruce (2012), "Al Qaeda's Resurgence", A World Connected: Globalization in the 21st Century, Yale Global Online, p. 137, ISBN 978-0977992201
  23. ^ "Pictures: Timbuktu Under al Qaeda". News.nationalgeographic.com. 7 December 2012. Archived from the original on 10 December 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  24. ^ Hirsch, Afua (2 April 2012). "Mali rebels tighten grip on northern towns". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  25. ^ "Gunfire breaks out as Tuareg rebels enter northern Mali city". Montreal Gazette. 31 March 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  26. ^ Daniel, Serge (30 March 2012). "Mali's isolated junta seeks help to stop Tuareg juggernaut". ModernGhana.com. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  27. ^ Nkrumah, Gamal (12–18 April 2012). "Saharan quicksand". Al-Ahram Weekly Online. Archived from the original on 12 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  28. ^ a b "Mali: Timbuktu heritage may be threatened, Unesco says". BBC News. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  29. ^ Kosciejew, Marc (10 April 2012), "Mali's Azawadian Factor, Part 1: Tuareg Secession, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and an Impending Humanitarian Disaster", Robben Island, Center for African Affairs and Global Peace, archived from the original on 31 July 2012
  30. ^ a b "Islamist fighters call for Sharia law in Mali". Agence France-Presse. 21 March 2012. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  31. ^ Dixon, Robyn; Labous, Jane (4 April 2012). "Gains of Mali's Tuareg rebels appear permanent, analysts say". Los Angeles Times. Johannesburg and London. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  32. ^ "Tuareg rebels in Mali declare cease-fire, as Mali's neighbors prepare military intervention". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 5 April 2012. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  33. ^ "Confusion in Mali after Tuareg independence claim". 6 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  34. ^ a b "Islamists block first Mali aid convoy to Timbuktu". Reuters. 15 May 2012. Archived from the original on 17 May 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  35. ^ Diouara, Cheikh; Diarra, Adama (15 May 2012). "Mali Islamists to let first aid convoy enter Timbuktu". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  36. ^ "Mali Tuareg and Islamist rebels agree on Sharia state". BBC News. 26 May 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  37. ^ Biiga, Bark (3 June 2012). "Nord Mali: le MNLA refuse de se mettre "en sardine"!" [Northern Mali: the MNLA refuses to "sardine" itself!] (in French). FasoZine. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012.
  38. ^ "Mali Islamists Reopen Talks With Tuareg Rebels". Voice of America. 2 June 2012.
  39. ^ "Mali rebel groups 'clash in Kidal'". BBC News. 8 June 2012.
  40. ^ Tiemoko Diallo and Adama Diarra (28 June 2012). "Islamists declare full control of Mali's north". Reuters. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  41. ^ "Defiant Mali Islamists pursue wrecking of Timbuktu". Reuters. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  42. ^ "Mali and al-Qaeda: Can the jihadists be stopped?". The Economist. 10 November 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  43. ^ Valdmanis, Richard; Lewis, David (24 January 2013), "Split emerges within Mali Islamist alliance as Africans prepare assault", The Globe and Mail, Toronto
  44. ^ "Mali's Ansar Dine Islamists 'split and want talks'", BBC News, 24 January 2013
  45. ^ Polgreen, Lydia (24 January 2013), "Faction Splits From Islamist Group in Northern Mali", The New York Times
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