Bilal Ag Acherif (Arabic: بلال أغ الشريف; born 1977), last name alternatively spelled Cherif,[1] is the Secretary-General of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) in Mali. He was president of a briefly independent breakaway state of Azawad[2][3] from April to July 2012, before the Malian Armed Forces recaptured many cities and Azawad collapsed.
Amghar Bilal Ag Alcherif | |
|---|---|
| بلال أغ الشريف | |
| President of the Transitional Council of the State of Azawad | |
| In office 6 April 2012 – 12 July 2012 | |
| Vice President | Mahamadou Djeri Maïga |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| General Secretary of the MNLA | |
| Assumed office October 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1977 (age 46–47) Kidal Region, Mali |
| Nationality | Azawadi |
Biography
editPre-presidency
editHe was born in the Kidal Region of Mali in 1977.[4] He went to Libya in 1993 to study political science, returning to Mali in 2010.[4]
Interim presidency
editOn 6 April 2012, he posted a statement to its website in which he declared the independence of Azawad from Mali.[5] On May 26, 2012 he made a pact with Ansar Dine, an Islamic organization, in which they would together form an Islamic state.[6] Azawad was supported by Ansar Dine from 2012 to 2017. It was not recognized by any nation or entity.
On 26 June 2012, he was wounded in clashes between MNLA fighters and the Islamist Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa during the northern Mali conflict. According to an MNLA spokesperson, he was taken to Burkina Faso for medical care.[7][8]
Post-presidency
editIn the months after his presidency he met with Cyril Vainer in Paris to discuss the Mali War.[9]
In 2014, Bilal Ag Acherif took over the presidency of the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), until being succeeded by Alghabass Ag Intalla on December 16, 2016.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ Elhadj Ould Brahim (19 February 2012), Conflict in Northern Mali: Internal Facts and Regional Impacts (PDF), Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, p. 3[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Tuareg rebels announce 'end of military operations' in Mali". Channel NewsAsia. Agence France-Presse. 5 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Explainer: Tuareg-led rebellion in north Mali – Africa". Al Jazeera English. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
- ^ a b Vogl, Martin (5 July 2012). "Mali's shaky rebel alliance and a looming war". The Africa Report.
- ^ "Mali's Tuareg rebels declare independence". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
- ^ "Mali Tuareg and Islamist rebels agree on Islamist state". BBC News. 2012-05-26. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
- ^ "Mali: Islamists seize Gao from Tuareg rebels". BBC News. June 27, 2012. Archived from the original on December 23, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
- ^ Serge Daniel (June 27, 2012). "Islamists seize north Mali town, at least 21 dead in clashes". Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
- ^ "The Interview – Bilal Ag Acherif, President of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad". France 24. 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
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