The Coordination of Azawad Movements ( (CMA); ; ) is a large coalition of

Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym, depending on variety: ''Imuhaɣ'', ''Imušaɣ'', ''Imašeɣăn'' or ''Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group, traditionally nomadic pastoralists, who principally inhabit th ...

independentist and

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

nationalist groups that formed in

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

during the

Northern Mali conflict {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Mali War , width = 35% , partof = the Islamist insurgency in the Sahel and the War on terror , image = MaliWar.svg , image_size = 300 , caption ...

in 2014.

Organization

The CMA was founded on 28 October 2014 as an alliance of three separate rebel groups: The

National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

(MNLA), The

High Council for the Unity of Azawad The High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA) (French: Haut conseil pour l'unité de l'Azawad) was a Tuareg political movement formed on May 2, 2013, during the Mali War. The movement was initially called the High Council of Azawad (HCA) (Frenc ...

(HCUA), and a faction of the

Arab Movement of Azawad The Arab Movement of Azawad (, ; MAA) is an Arab military organization active in Azawad/northern Mali. Initially known as the National Liberation Front of Azawad (; FLNA), it was formed in early 2012, during the 2012 Tuareg rebellion. The MAA c ...

(MAA) that is active in or around the Timbuktu Region Other rebel groups claim to belong to the CMA but are not recognized by its founding members: The (CMFPR), the Coalition of the People of Azawad (CPA), the

Movement for the Salvation of Azawad The Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (; Abbreviation, abbreviated MSA) is a Tuareg people, Tuareg political movement and armed group in Azawad, Mali. It was founded on 2 September 2016 by Moussa Ag Acharatoumane. History The MSA was found ...

(MSA). CMA and its main member, MNLA, are mostly

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...

and

arab nationalist Arab nationalism () is a political ideology asserting that Arabs constitute a single nation. As a traditional nationalist ideology, it promotes Arab culture and civilization, celebrates Arab history, the Arabic language and Arabic literatur ...

political organizations that are seeking independence for

Azawad Azawad, or Azawagh (Tuareg languages, Tuareg: Azawaɣ, or Azawad; ), was a short-lived diplomatic recognition, unrecognised state lasting between 2012 and 2013. Azawagh (''Azawaɣ'') is the generic Tuareg, Tuareg Berber name for all Tuareg Ber ...

within

. CMA includes fighters from various ethnic groups across the Sahara, like Tuareg arabs, Fulani arabs and Songhai arabs. CMA is described as an

umbrella organization An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and iden ...

that does not represent one unified ideology. On February 2023, 3 main rebel groups of CMA, have announced their merger into new rebel coalition,

Azawad Liberation Front The Azawad Liberation Front (in Tuareg: ⵜⴰⴶⴰⵉⵜ ⵢⵏ ⵢⵙⵢⵍⵢⵍⵓ ⴰⵣⴰⵓⴰⴷ; in Arabic: جبهة تحرير أزواد); in French: Front de libération de l'Azawad) or FLA is a political and military organization i ...

, in the city of

Kidal Kidal ( Tuareg Berber: ⴾⴸⵍ, KDL, Kidal) is a town and commune in the desert region of northern Mali. The town lies northeast of Gao and is the capital of the Kidal Cercle and the Kidal Region. The commune has an area of about and incl ...

. The CMA is chaired by Ibrahim Ould Handa as of 2023. Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati, president of the CMA from 2017 to 2018, was assassinated in

Bamako Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country. Bamak ...

on April 13, 2021. The CMA formed the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security, and Development (CSP-PSD) coalition with Platform in 2021. Platform withdrew from the CSP-PSD in 2024.

References

2014 establishments in Mali Arab nationalist militant groups History of Azawad Military units and factions of the Mali War Political movements in Mali Rebel alliances Tuareg independence movement {{Mali-stub

Organization

See also

References