The Organization of the Tuareg Diaspora in Europe (ODTE)/TANAT expresses its deepest concern regarding the recent events in Kidal and the various human rights violations observed on the territory of Azawad. ODTE-TANAT wishes to express its full solidarity with the bereaved families and presents them with its most heartfelt condolences.
The crisis currently sweeping through Azawad, particularly in Kidal, calls for a thoughtful and appropriate reaction to push back those who seek through cunning and manipulation to prevent the emergence of a political entity that nonetheless constitutes the legitimate aspiration of local populations. Everyone will understand that this is by no means a tribal conflict in Kidal, but rather a coalition of interests with multiple objectives. The Tuaregs who allow themselves to be instrumentalized against their own interests and those of their community do not realize the extent of the trap and will be the first victims of this machination. History is peppered with examples across the world. Already in the 1990s, the same type of instrumentalization led to serious events that constituted a precedent whose aftereffects still hinder the building of a lasting cohesion among the various sensitivities of Azawad.
The emancipation of Azawad is an irreversible process because it corresponds both to an aspiration widely shared by the populations concerned and to a decisive imperative in the stability and securing of the Sahelo-Saharan space. The ethnolinguistic communities of Azawad understand today that their interests are linked and that only their unity will weigh against Mali and the International Community. Experience has shown that those who go against the current of History always end up paying the price.
The Tuareg community of Azawad must take the measure of the stakes being played out in this part of the world. The maneuvers orchestrated by local and international actors clearly show that the future will be built essentially with forces structured on a military and political level—forces capable of developing a consistent political agenda, pursued with determination and responsibility. Misunderstandings and internal rivalries within the Community should not serve as leverage for forces seeking to diminish the role of the Tuareg people in the sub-region.
Moral, religious, and customary authorities should get involved and contribute to smoothing over any dispute whose source lies in the survival of certain archaisms that are now outdated.
Since the collapse of the Malian state in 2012 and the placing of this country under international tutelage, things can no longer be as they were before. Only a culpable narrow-mindedness could lead one to think otherwise.
ODTE-TANAT reminds France and the International Community of their responsibility in protecting civilian populations and asks them to create the conditions for a rapid return to political dialogue between the Malian authorities and the Azawad Movements.
For the ODTE Bureau
Paris, August 2, 2016
Abdoulahi ATTAYOUB
President
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