Alghabass Ag Intalla

Alghabass is the youngest son of prominent Ifoghas Tuareg Amenokal Intalla Ag Attaher, and has two older brothers; Mohamed and Attayoub.^[1][2] He was born in Kidal.^[3]

Before the Mali War broke out in 2012, Alghabass was a deputy in Mali's National Assembly serving Kidal from 2002 to 2012.^[4] Alghabass's initial political popularity that won him elections in 2002 shrank in 2007 and 2012.^[4] When the rebellion began, he joined the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) but quickly switched to Ansar Dine.^[5] In Ansar Dine, he claimed to fight to establish Sharia law in northern Mali.^[6] Alghabass quickly became the face of Ansar Dine in political negotiations as the group's second-in-command, and represented the movement in negotiations in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in late 2012.^[5][7] In January 2013, just days before the French intervention of Operation Serval, Alghabass left Ansar Dine and founded the Islamic Movement of Azawad (MIA), of which he was the Secretary-general.^[8] He announced the dissolution of the MIA in May 2013, joining the High Council for the Unity of Azawad founded by his brother Mohamed instead.^[9]

Alghabass became the HCUA's Secretary-general in July 2014, representing the group along with the Arab Movement of Azawad and the MNLA in negotiations in Algiers in 2014.^[10] Following his father Intalla's death in December 2014, Alghabass was expected to succeed him as Amenokal of the Ifoghas. This position was instead granted to Mohamed, who was preferred by Intalla before his death.^[2] Ifoghas leaders appointed Mohamed for the role because of this, and despite Alghabass' charisma and activity within the Ifoghas community, his past in Ansar Dine could've swayed the decision by the leaders toward Mohamed.^{[speculation?][11][12]}

On December 16, 2016, and in July 2022, Alghabass succeeded Bilal Ag Acherif as president of the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA).^[3] Acherif and Alghabass took turns in the role for the next few months.^[13] In 2018, it was speculated that Alghabass still was in contact with jihadist leader and former Ansar Dine compatriot Iyad Ag Ghaly.^[4] In December 2019, Alghabass called for the different groups within the CMA to merge into one.^[14]

In early 2023, tensions between Alghabass and Malian junta leader Assimi Goïta rose over the implementation of the Algiers Accords.^[15] Under Alghabass' command, the CMA's groups merged into one entity, left the Algiers Accords, and launched an operation to combat the Islamic State – Sahil Province (ISGS) in northern Mali.^[15] A major reason for tension with the Malian junta was the junta's alliance with the Russian Wagner Group, known for its killings of civilians in Mali.^[16] Alghabass stepped down from the presidency of the CMA in 2023, which was then led instead by Ibrahim Ould Handa.^[17]

Under Alghabass's administration of the Kidal region, the CMA was effectively a structured government operating under Islamic law with Islamic courts.^[18] Alghabass was the one that signed a CMA statement implementing the qadis, or Islamic judges, which sparked controversy by critics claiming that the CMA and qadis were interconnected, which the CMA decried.^[7]

• Interview with Alghabass Ag Intalla, head of the Islamic Movement of Azawad - February 1, 2013
• Ten things to know about Alghabass Ag Intalla - August 17, 2022