Arab Islamic Front of Azawad
Encyclopedia
Arab Islamic Front of Azawad (in French
: Front Islamique Arabe de l'Azawad or FIAA) was a militant rebel group in northern Mali
. It was headed by Zahabi Ould Sidi Mohamed.
Alone among Mali's many northern rebel groups, the FIAA drew its members mainly from north-west Mali's Hassani Arab
minority, which is closely related by tribal ties
, dialect
and culture
to the Moorish population of Mauritania
and the Sahrawis of Western Sahara
, Algeria
and Morocco
. Most other rebel groups in Mali's civil war were dominated by the north's larger population of Tuareg. On January 6, 1991, the MPLA
and FIAA signed the Algeria-backed Tamanrasset Accords with the government of Mali. The accord, however, failed to prevent further conflict. In December 1991 FIAA joined the United Movements and Fronts of Azawad (MFUA), which would then sign the National Pact peace treaty.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Front Islamique Arabe de l'Azawad or FIAA) was a militant rebel group in northern Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
. It was headed by Zahabi Ould Sidi Mohamed.
Alone among Mali's many northern rebel groups, the FIAA drew its members mainly from north-west Mali's Hassani Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
minority, which is closely related by tribal ties
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
, dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
to the Moorish population of Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
and the Sahrawis of Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. Most other rebel groups in Mali's civil war were dominated by the north's larger population of Tuareg. On January 6, 1991, the MPLA
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Azawad , a Tuareg militant rebel group in northern Mali . Initially based amongst exiles in Algeria and, especially, Libya, MPLA launched an armed campaign in June 1990. This fed into the disturbances already underway in Mali, and started a civil war...
and FIAA signed the Algeria-backed Tamanrasset Accords with the government of Mali. The accord, however, failed to prevent further conflict. In December 1991 FIAA joined the United Movements and Fronts of Azawad (MFUA), which would then sign the National Pact peace treaty.