The Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies (,

abbreviated An abbreviation () is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method including shortening, contraction, initialism (which includes acronym), or crasis. An abbreviation may be a shortened form of a word, usually ended with a trailing per ...

GATIA) was an armed group in

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 ...

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 ...

. Most of its 500 to 1,000 fighters were Imghad Tuaregs, and the group supports the

an government.

History

GATIA was founded on 14 August 2014 as a

self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of Force (law), ...

group of armed locals, in response to the

Malian Army The Malian Armed Forces (, FAMa) consists of the Army (), Republic of Mali Air Force (), and National Guard. They number some 7,000 and are under the control of the Minister of Armed Forces and Veterans. The Library of Congress as of January 200 ...

's total defeat in the 2nd Battle of Kidal on 21 May 2014 by 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). In collaboration with French forces, GATIA and 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) launched a joint-operation on 23 February 2018 to capture or kill Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, the

ISIL The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signif ...

commander in Mali. Al-Sahrawi survived and managed to evade capture, but six ISIL militants were killed in the clashes. GATIA-MSA forces clashed with ISIL militants from 2 to 5 June 2018. ISIL commander Almahmoud Ag Akawkaw was captured, while Amat Ag Assalate was killed during the battle. On December 1, 2024, a former commander of GATIA, Fahad Ag Almahmoud, was assassinated in a drone strike by the Malian army.

Ideology

GATIA is a pro-

an government group and is generally opposed to the MNLA and an independent

References

{{Reflist, 2 Azawad Organizations established in 2014 Political movements in Mali Rebel groups in Mali 2014 establishments in Mali Military units and factions of the Mali War