Ag Mohammed Wau Teguidda Kaocen
Encyclopedia
Ag Mohammed Wau Teguidda Kaocen (1880-1919)(also known as Kaocen, Kaosen, Kawen) was a Tuareg noble and clan leader. Born in 1880 near Zinder
(modern Niger
), Kaocen became the Amenokal
(chief) of the southern Ikazkazan Tuareg, a subset of the Kel Owey
confederation. He led the Kaocen Revolt
a rebellion against French colonial rule
of the area around the Aïr Mountains
of northern Niger
during 1916-17. After the defeat of the revolt, Kaocen fled north, later to be captured and hanged in 1919 by local forces in Mourzouk, Libya
.
Fula
in Sultanate of Damagaram
.
An adherent to the militantly anti-French Sanusiya Sufi religious order, Kaocen had engaged in numerous, mostly unsuccessful battles against French forces from at least 1909. He had raided French columns in what is today eastern Niger and western Chad
. He participated in several raids in the Borkou, Ennedi and Tibesti area, including the 1909 battle at Galakka. Under the direct orders of the Sanusiya leader, he commanded forces at Ennedi in 1910, only to be defeated by the French and forced to retreat to the border of Darfur
. Returning first to Ounianga Kabir then the Fezzan
(the center of Sanusiya power), Kaocen rallied both a tribal subjects and other nomads (not all Tuareg) who were loyal to the Sanusiya.
There, in October 1914, the Sanusiya leadership declared a Jihad
against the French colonialists. In 1916, Kaocen's forces began attacking towns in the Aïr. With the aid of Sultan of Agadez Kaocen's forces placed the garrison under siege on 17 December 1916. They seized all the major towns of the Aïr, including Ingall, Assodé
, and Aouderas
, placing what is today northern Niger under rebel control for over three months.
relieved the Agadez garrison, and Kaocen forces retreated to Tibesti, conducting raids against the French and local towns until he was eventually driven north to the Fezzan. There he was captured and hanged in 1919 by local forces in Mourzouk
hostil to the Sanusiya.
Memory of the revolt, and the killings in its wake, remain fresh in the minds of modern Tuareg. The episode is seen both as a part of a larger anti-colonial struggle, and amongst some as part of the post independence struggle for autonomy of the existing governments of Niger and its neighbors.
The Kaocen revolt can also be placed in a longer history of Tuareg conflict with ethnic Songhay and Hausa
in the south central Sahara
which goes back to at least the seizure of Agadez by the Songhay Empire in 1500 CE, or even the first migrations of Berber
Tuaregs south into the Aïr in the 11th to 13th centuries CE. Conflicts have persisted since independence, with major Tuareg risings in Mali's Adrar des Ifoghas
during 1963-64, the 1990s insurgencies in both Mali and Niger, and a renewed series of insurgencies beginning in the mid 2000s (see Second Tuareg Rebellion).
Zinder
Zinder is the second largest city in Niger, with a population of 170,574 by 2005 was estimated to be over 200,000...
(modern Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
), Kaocen became the Amenokal
Amenokal
Amenokal is an autochthonous title for the highest Tuareg traditional chiefs.-History:Before the colonization by the French of the North African and Sahel countries they dwell in, the nomadic Tuareg federations elected a chief among the wise men of the tribes to rule the loose union of closely...
(chief) of the southern Ikazkazan Tuareg, a subset of the Kel Owey
Kel Owey
The Kel Owey are a Tuareg clan confederation which from the 18th century until the advent of French colonial rule at the beginning of the 20th century was a dominant power in the Air region of north central Niger.-History:The Kel Owey have, like many Tuareg confederations been both a sub-group of...
confederation. He led the Kaocen Revolt
Kaocen Revolt
The Kaocen Revolt was a Tuareg rebellion against French colonial rule of the area around the Aïr Mountains of northern Niger during 1916-17.-1916 rising:Ag Mohammed Wau Teguidda Kaocen was the Tuareg leader of the rising against the French...
a rebellion against French colonial rule
French colonial empires
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
of the area around the Aïr Mountains
Aïr Mountains
The Aïr Mountains is a triangular massif, located in northern Niger, within the Sahara desert...
of northern Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
during 1916-17. After the defeat of the revolt, Kaocen fled north, later to be captured and hanged in 1919 by local forces in Mourzouk, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
.
Family
Born into the Ikazkazan Tuareg in what is now the south of Niger, his exact lineage is debated, with some sources claiming he was the child of a union between Tuareg nobility and the Bouzo slave class. His brother Mokhtar Kodogo was his second in command throughout his life, and survived only a year after his death, killed while leading a revolt amongst the ToubouToubou
The Tubu are an ethnic group that live mainly in northern Chad, but also in Libya, Niger and Sudan....
Fula
Fula people
Fula people or Fulani or Fulbe are an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa...
in Sultanate of Damagaram
Sultanate of Damagaram
The Sultanate of Damagaram was a powerful pre-colonial state in what is now southeastern Niger, centered on the city of Zinder.- Rise :The Sultanate of Damagaram was founded in 1731 by Muslim Kanouri aristocrats, led by Mallam...
.
Resistance to French
See also: Kaocen RevoltKaocen Revolt
The Kaocen Revolt was a Tuareg rebellion against French colonial rule of the area around the Aïr Mountains of northern Niger during 1916-17.-1916 rising:Ag Mohammed Wau Teguidda Kaocen was the Tuareg leader of the rising against the French...
An adherent to the militantly anti-French Sanusiya Sufi religious order, Kaocen had engaged in numerous, mostly unsuccessful battles against French forces from at least 1909. He had raided French columns in what is today eastern Niger and western Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
. He participated in several raids in the Borkou, Ennedi and Tibesti area, including the 1909 battle at Galakka. Under the direct orders of the Sanusiya leader, he commanded forces at Ennedi in 1910, only to be defeated by the French and forced to retreat to the border of Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
. Returning first to Ounianga Kabir then the Fezzan
Fezzan
Fezzan is a south western region of modern Libya. It is largely desert but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise inhospitable Sahara.-Name:...
(the center of Sanusiya power), Kaocen rallied both a tribal subjects and other nomads (not all Tuareg) who were loyal to the Sanusiya.
There, in October 1914, the Sanusiya leadership declared a Jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
against the French colonialists. In 1916, Kaocen's forces began attacking towns in the Aïr. With the aid of Sultan of Agadez Kaocen's forces placed the garrison under siege on 17 December 1916. They seized all the major towns of the Aïr, including Ingall, Assodé
Assodé
Assodé was a town in the Aïr Mountains in what is now northern Niger. Founded around the eleventh century, it was long the most important Tuareg town, benefiting from trans-Saharan trade, and declining with it from the eighteenth century...
, and Aouderas
Aouderas
Aouderas is an oasis village in the Aïr Mountains of northeastern Niger, about 90km North-Northeast of the Regional capital of Agadez...
, placing what is today northern Niger under rebel control for over three months.
Defeat and death
When on 3 March 1917 a large French force dispatched from ZinderZinder
Zinder is the second largest city in Niger, with a population of 170,574 by 2005 was estimated to be over 200,000...
relieved the Agadez garrison, and Kaocen forces retreated to Tibesti, conducting raids against the French and local towns until he was eventually driven north to the Fezzan. There he was captured and hanged in 1919 by local forces in Mourzouk
Murzuk
Murzuk is an oasis town and the capital of the Murzuq District in the Fezzan region of southwest Libya. Murzuk lies on the northern edge of the Murzuq Desert, a desert of ergs or great sand dunes, and section of the Sahara Desert.-History:...
hostil to the Sanusiya.
Context
Today Kaocen is remembered by Tuareg nationalists as a hero, his name is a popular given name in Tuareg communities.Memory of the revolt, and the killings in its wake, remain fresh in the minds of modern Tuareg. The episode is seen both as a part of a larger anti-colonial struggle, and amongst some as part of the post independence struggle for autonomy of the existing governments of Niger and its neighbors.
The Kaocen revolt can also be placed in a longer history of Tuareg conflict with ethnic Songhay and Hausa
Hausa people
The Hausa are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They are a Sahelian people chiefly located in northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, but having significant numbers living in regions of Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Chad and Sudan...
in the south central Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
which goes back to at least the seizure of Agadez by the Songhay Empire in 1500 CE, or even the first migrations of Berber
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
Tuaregs south into the Aïr in the 11th to 13th centuries CE. Conflicts have persisted since independence, with major Tuareg risings in Mali's Adrar des Ifoghas
Adrar des Ifoghas
The Adrar des Ifoghas is a sandstone massif in Mali's Kidal Region, having an area of about 250,000 km².The area is characterized by wide, shallow valleys, and is strewn with piles of eroded granite blocks...
during 1963-64, the 1990s insurgencies in both Mali and Niger, and a renewed series of insurgencies beginning in the mid 2000s (see Second Tuareg Rebellion).