Tuareg: A Nation Without Borders. A CNA Strategic Studies Conference Report.

摘要

On the morning of January 17, 2012, a new Tuareg group, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), attacked the town of Menaka in northeast Mali. This was the beginning of a full-fledged assault that expelled the Malian government from the north of the country, an area the size of Texas. In the immediate aftermath of the military successes of the MNLA, the more politically astute and ruthless Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Ansar Dine leaders shouldered the MNLA aside to seize control of the struggle. To stem the southward advance of militants, the French military, with the assistance of regional African partners, intervened and quickly cleared the northern cities of Gao, Timbuktu, and Kidal. To avoid being destroyed, the secular MNLA sided with the French against the jihadists. In the intervening months, airstrikes and raids by French and African troops killed scores of jihadi fighters, including several important commanders. Despite remnants of resistance remaining in mountain and desert hideouts, and a spate of deadly suicide bombings, France has begun to withdraw some of its 4,000 troops in preparation for a transition to a United Nations peacekeeping force. To extirpate AQIM and permanently deny it and other extremist militants sanctuary in the Sahara, the cooperation of the Tuareg people will be essential. What has yet to be determined is how the Tuareg can be integrated into a peaceful and effective political process. On March 22, 2013, CNA s Center for Strategic Studies convened a small group discussion to identify Tuareg aspirations and examine post-conflict political dynamics in Mali. The meeting brought together noted academics, journalists, and experts from the United States and abroad.