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Tinzaouaten (var. Tinzawatene and Tin-Zaouatene; Arabic: تين ظواتين) is a Saharan rural commune in the far northeast of Mali on the Algerian border. The commune is in the Abeïbara Cercle of the Kidal Region. It included a stop on a trans-Saharan trade route and a military post on the frontier under the French colonial regime. In 2009 the 8,000 square kilometer commune had a population of 2,300, most of whom are nomadic Tuareg.[1] The Algerian settlement of Tinzaouten is on the Algerian side of the border.[3]

Mali War

On July 25, 2024, Tuareg rebels of CSP-DPA ambushed a convoy of FAMA and Russian Wagner mercenaries in Tinzaouaten, beginning a 2-day battle. Over the course of the battle a sandstorm formed, forcing both sides to a temporary pause in fighting until July 26.[4] The battle ended on July 27 resulting in the loss of several FAMA armored vehicles, a FAMA helicopter and the claimed deaths of 10 FAMA soldiers, up to 25-80+ Wagner Group mercenaries and 20 CSP-DPA soldiers.[5]

Tinzaouaten was the headquarters of the Al-Qaeda-associated terrorist group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Plan de Sécurité Alimentaire Commune Rurale Tinzawatene 2007-2011 (PDF) (in French), Commissariat à la Sécurité Alimentaire, République du Mali, USAID-Mali, 2007, archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-09-18, retrieved 2012-05-02.
  2. ^ Resultats Provisoires RGPH 2009 (Région de Kidal) (PDF) (in French), République de Mali: Institut National de la Statistique, archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-07-27, retrieved 2012-05-02.
  3. ^ fr:Tinzaouten
  4. ^ Bridger, Bianca (2024-07-25). "Tuareg rebels ambush Malian and Russian forces near the Algerian border". Atlas News. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  5. ^ "Mali rebels say they killed and injured dozens of soldiers, Wagner mercenaries in fighting". Reuters. Bamako. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  6. ^ Pellerin, Mathieu (November 2019). "Armed violence in the Sahara" (PDF). IFRI. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-05-23. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
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