SUMMARY
The conflict between the ethnic Tuareg CMA (originally MNLA) and the Songhay Ganda Iso was played out in the context of the general upheaval during the former’s lightning offensive in northern Mali in 2012 (Mali: Azawad).
The population in the northern part of Mali is divided between a number of different ethnic groups, with the Tuareg people making up a majority of the inhabitants, followed by Arabs, Fulani, and Songhay. There are deep divisions between these groups (as well as within especially the Tuareg community); they do not share the same culture or traditions and they have different interests and political agendas. These divisions have been exacerbated by the Malian state’s divide-and-rule tactics in the region. One distinct question of contention between these groups concerns the establishment of a separate state in the northern part of Mali. While this is something that especially parts of the Tuareg community have been fighting for, sections of the Arab population and the Fulani and Songhay oppose the idea, fearing that it would mean living under Tuareg domination. When the separatist Tuareg MNLA (later CMA) quickly seized large swaths of territory, forcing the Malian army to retreat, the other ethnic groups in the region acted quickly: a number of new groups were created, and already established militias – such as Ganda Iso – were mobilized. At least in 2012 the latter mainly acted as a support group to the army.
Attitudes were very hostile between Ganda Iso and CMA. This was not only due to the ongoing conflict, but also to events during the Tuareg separatist rebellion in the 1990s, when the civilian population was targeted on both sides. Thus, the ethnic dimension played a large role, with reports saying that Ganda Iso fighters generalized from MNLA to the Tuareg population at large, making no distinction between the two.
The non-state conflict between between Ganda Iso and CMA is first included in UCDP data in 2012. On 25 March of that year Ganda Iso ran into a CMA ambush near Tin-Hama in Gao region, and with the fatalities incurred in the ensuing fighting, the fatality threshold of 25 battle-related deaths threshold was crossed.
