National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
| National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad | |
|---|---|
| ⵜⴰⵏⴾⵔⴰ ⵏ ⵜⵓⵎⴰⵙⵜ ⴹ ⴰⵙⵍⴰⵍⵓ ⵏ ⴰⵣⴰⵓⴰⴷ الحركة الوطنية لتحرير أزواد Mouvement national de libération de l'Azawad | |
| Leaders | Bilal Ag Acherif (General Secretary) Mahmoud Ag Aghaly (President of the political bureau) Mohamed Ag Najem (Head of military operations) Moussa Ag Acharatoumane Ibrahim Ag Bahanga |
| Dates of operation | October 2011 – November 30, 2024 |
| Headquarters | Kidal (until 2023) |
| Active regions | Northern Mali (former State of Azawad) |
| Ideology | Nationalism Autonomy Berberism Secularism |
| Size | 9,000–10,000 (in 2012, per MNLA sources) 3,000–4,000 (2023) |
| Part of | Coordination of Azawad Movements |
| Allies | Libya (under Jamahiriya) (2011) Libya (under NTC) (2011–2012) Ansar Dine (2011–2012) Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (alleged) Ukraine |
| Opponents | Mali Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa Ansar Dine (since June 2012) |
| Battles and wars | Islamist insurgency in the Sahel |
| Website | www.mnlamov.net |
The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad or the Azawad National Liberation Movement (French: Mouvement national de libération de l'Azawad, MNLA), formerly the National Movement of Azawad (French: Mouvement national de l'Azawad, MNA), was a militant organization based in northern Mali.
The movement was mostly made up of ethnic Tuareg, some of whom fought in the 2011 Libyan Civil War, either for the Libyan army or for the rebel National Transitional Council, and returned to Mali after the war. The movement was founded in October 2011 and has stated that it includes other Saharan peoples.
The Malian government accused the movement of having links to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The MNLA denied this claim. Human Rights Watch and FIDH accused MNLA of terrorism and war crimes, a conclusion supported by the ICC. By 1 April 2012 the MNLA and Ansar Dine were in control of virtually all of northern Mali, including its three largest cities of Kidal, Gao, and Timbuktu. Tensions between the MNLA and Ansar Dine culminated in the Battle of Gao, in which the MNLA lost control of northern Malian cities to Ansar Dine and the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa.