Battle of Takellote
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changes GATIA pushed entirely out of Kidal region
| Battle of Takellote | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Mali War | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 GATIA | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| El Hadj Ag Gamou | Mohamed Ag Najem | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 50 killed, 33 to 39 captured (per CMA and MINUSMA) |
2 killed, 5 injured (per GATIA) 4 killed (per CMA) | ||||||||
| 3 Civilians Killed | |||||||||
On July 26, 2017, clashes broke out between the pro-government GATIA Imghad Tuareg militia and anti-government Idnane Tuareg rebels from the Coordination of Azawad Movements.
In the Algiers Agreement of 2015, most Tuareg groups signed a peace treaty with each other and the Malian government. Despite this, clashes still broke out between the pro-government GATIA, composed of Imghad Tuaregs (considered a vassal clan of Tuaregs), and the Idnane Tuaregs (a higher-ranked clan of Tuareg) armed groups of the coalition Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA).[1] The most notable fighting between the two groups occurred in 2016, and then again in June 2017. The second spate of fighting caused between ten and thirty deaths on both sides, with RFI stating that "assassinations, kidnapping, and even branding ... incidents were increasing."[1][2] These incidents were in Kidal Region, which is traditionally Idnane Tuareg territory, although the Malian government through GATIA wanted to expand control over the region and dilute CMA control.[3]
On July 6, 2017, clashes between GATIA and the CMA left three people dead near Aguelhok.[4] Renewed fighting broke out in Anefif five days later on July 11, with the CMA capturing the city.[5][6] Negotiations between GATIA and the CMA restarted, but failed on July 19. GATIA insisted that Anefif should be under control of "neutral forces" like MINUSMA, the French Army, or the Malian Army. The CMA refused this, stating that the Malian army was not a neutral party in the conflict.[7]
A majority of the violence was perpetrated by GATIA against Idnane Tuaregs aligned with the CMA, according to a Jeune Afrique report. The report alleged that the attacks by GATIA occurred during Ramadan, when CMA fighters had left to spend the holy month with their families. When Ramadan was over, the CMA was back at full capacity and had more of a desire to fight GATIA.[8]