SUMMARY
The Malian rebel group FIAA (Front islamique arabe de l’Azaouad; Islamic Arab Front of Azawad) was formed in late 1990 in northern Mali by the Arab members of the MPA (Mouvement populaire de lAzaouad, Azawad People’s Movement), formerly known as MPLA (Mouvement populaire de libération de lAzaouad, Popular Movement for the Liberation of Azawad). MPA had launched an intrastate conflict in June that year and was the first rebel group formed to represent the demands of the nomads inhabiting northern Mali.
One reason for the formation of FIAA appears to have been the concern of the Arabs in the rebel movement that they would receive too small a share of the benefits from government negotiations that commenced soon after the armed conflict had started. In particular one Touareg group, the Ifoghas from Adagh in northern Mali, dominated MPA to the dissatisfactions of other tribal groups that were hardly represented at all in leadership positions. It has also been suggested that FIAA formed as a response to the persecutions of the Arab and Touareg population by the Malian Army that took place from the early beginning of armed conflict in 1990. The movement was the first to take an explicitly ethnic and religious title.
According to Malian army sources, FIAA was supported by Libya and Mauritania. The latter was accused of sheltering FIAA leader Zahaby Ould Sidi Mohamed. It has also been suggested that the FIAA received support from ethnic Tuaj Arabs in Niger. This has, however, not been possible to confirm. Together with other northern Malian rebel groups, FIAA in 1991 formed an umbrella organisation, MFUA (Mouvement et fronts unifies de l’Azaouad, Unified Movements and Fronts of Azawad) comprising MPA, FIAA and two other organisations, ARLA (Armée revolutionaire pour la liberation de l’Azaouad, Revolutionary Liberation Army of Azawad) and the FPLA (Front populaire de Liberation de l’Azaouad, Popular Front for the Liberation of Azawad). MFUA represented the rebels in the negotiations with the government from 1992. However, the political goals of the group comprised by MFUA differed and in 1994 FIAA broke away.
FIAA took part in peace negotiations with the Malian government, but in 1994 continued the intrastate armed conflict as the only northern Malian group officially fighting. It announced an end to its armed struggle the following year and accepted to rejoin the peace process.
FIAA has been involved in the intrastate and one-sided categories of UCDP organised violence.
