National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
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National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
Mouvement National pour la Libération de l’Azawad
Participant in Tuareg rebellions
MNLA emblem.png
Active October 2011 – present
Ideology Azawadi nationalism
Secularism[1]
Leaders Bilal Ag Acherif[2] (General Secretary)
Mahmoud Ag Aghaly (President of the political bureau)
Ag Mohamed Najem (head of military operations)
Moussa Ag Acharatoumane
Ibrahim Ag Bahanga
Area of
operations Northern Mali (Azawad)
Part of Azawad
Allies Libya (under Libyan Arab Jamahiriya)
Libya (under National Transitional Council)
Opponents Mali
Algeria
Battles/wars 2012 insurgency in the Azawad
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The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad or the Azawad National Liberation Movement[3] (Tamasheq: Tankra n Tumast ḍ Asnnannu n Azawd, Arabic:, French: Mouvement National pour la Libération de l’Azawad; MNLA), formerly National Movement of Azawad[5] (French: Mouvement national de l’Azawad; MNA) is a political and military organisation based in Azawad. The movement is made up of Tuareg, and some of them are believed to have previously fought in the Libyan army,[6] during the 2011 Libyan civil war (though other Tuareg MNLA fighters were also on the side of the National Transitional Council) and returned to Mali after the 2011 Libyan civil war. The movement was founded in October 2011 and had stated that it includes other Saharan peoples. The Malian government has accused the movement of having links to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.[7] However, the MNLA deny the claims. By 1 April, the MNLA, along with Ansar Dine, were in control of virtually all of northern Mali, including the three biggest cities of Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu. On 6 April, the MNLA unilaterally declared the independence of Azawad from Mali.
