Sahara: Ansar al-Din takes greater military control over Kidal
Published on Tuesday, 20 December 2016 Back to articlesAll the signs are that Ansar al-Din under its leader, Iyad Ag Ghali, is taking greater military control over much of Kidal. Its attacks on Tuareg armed groups, notably Groupe autodéfense touareg Imghad et allies (GATIA), appear to be increasing, as do its efforts against French military forces in the region. In addition to recent assaults on French forces around Abeibeira, Ansar al-Din undertook a significant attack on an armed GATIA position on 16 November in the Kidal region, close to the Algerian border.
While GATIA officials originally seemed to have suspected Coordination des mouvements de l’Azawad (CMA) forces, Ansar al-Din has since officially claimed responsibility.
The GATIA forces were caught in an ambush and acknowledge losing three fighters. Ansar al-Din claims to have killed ‘several’ GATIA fighters and to have seized several vehicles and much military equipment.
The jihadist Ansar al-Din considers the pro-government GATIA its sworn enemy. The impression being gleaned by experts in the region is that the balance of power has shifted in favour of Ansar al-Din, at least in the Kidal region, especially since its recent strengthening of its military equipment.
The latest battle between the two groups has not been linked to the significant drug trafficking through the region, but this is widely suspected. GATIA’s leadership is known to have major interests in the drug market, and the location of the latest skirmish near the Algerian border raises the possibility that a GATIA drug convoy might have been heading into Algeria.
On the wider scene, Ansar al-Din not only regards the Kidal region as its rear base but is now quite capable of sabotaging the peace process as and when it chooses – with the clear goal of ensuring that nothing can be settled without its participation and approval.