The Kel Adagh (var. Kel Adrar, Kel Adghagh, less commonly Kel Ifoghas) are a
Tuareg confederation of clans (or "''Drum-Groups''") living in the region of the
Adrar des Iforas highlands 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 ...
. The name comes from
Tamasheq "''Kel''" ("those from/of") and "''Adagh''" ("''Mountains''"). In the modern era, not all Tuareg in the Adrar des Iforas are Kel Adagh, while some Kel Adagh are spread through northern
Niger
Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...
and southern
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
, with populations in the
Aïr Mountains
The Aïr Mountains or Aïr Massif (Air Tamajeq language, Tamajăq: ''Ayǝr''; Hausa language, Hausa: Eastern ''Azbin'', Western ''Abzin'') is a triangular massif, located in northern Niger, within the Sahara. Part of the West Sa ...
,
Tassili n'Ajjer, and the
Hoggar Mountains. Most Kel Adagh derive from Noble and Warrior castes and their tributaries.
Noble Kel Adagh in Ifoghas include:
* Kel Afella (North) : tributaries of the
Amenokal of Adagh.
* Kel Taghlit
* Kel Essouk (Religious caste tributary group)
* Kel Ouzzeyn
* Ifergoumessen
* Iriyaken
Tributaries include around forty tribes, the more notable of which are :
* Taghat Mellet ("''Those of the white horse''")
* Idnan
* Ibatanaten
2012 Tuareg rebellion
In the months leading up to the 2012 Tuareg rebellion, the
Islamist Iyad ag Ghaly reportedly attempted to take on the leadership of Kel Adagh, but was rejected. He responded by founding the Islamist group
Ansar Dine.
In early 2012, the Tuareg fighters of the
National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) took control of several towns in northern Mali. The gains triggered a
coup in Mali by mutinying soldiers, allowing the MNLA to take the regional capitals 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 ...
,
Gao, and
Timbuktu
Timbuktu ( ; ; Koyra Chiini: ; ) is an ancient city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. It is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali, having a population of 32,460 in the 2018 census.
...
. ''
TIME
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' describes Kel Adagh as "the Tuareg group most closely aligned with the rebellion".
See also
*
Kel Tamasheq
**
Kel Ahaggar
**
Kel Ajjer
**
Kel Ayr
**
Kel Gres
**
Iwellemmedan : Kel Ataram (west) and Kel Dinnik (east)
References
*Portions of this article were translated from the French language Wikipedia article
:fr:Kel Adagh, 2008-08-26.
{{Authority control
Tuareg
Tuareg confederations