Tuaregs

Main article: Population of Africa

The Tuareg cannot be called the single people of the African Sahel and the Sahara desert. For centuries, the basis of their "statehood" has been a system of clans united into larger tribes or confederations with a rigid hierarchical system that often feud among themselves.

For nomadic Tuareg tribes, there are no clear concepts of inviolable state borders, for them there is just one large desert.

As of November 2023

Since the early 2010s, various groups of radical Islamists have begun to flourish in Tuareg areas.

Azawad Movement

The Azawad Coordination Movement itself is a temporary alliance of Tuareg tribes to fight against a single enemy in the person of the government of Mali, which by 2023 has not been able to find a way to agree with the nomads for a long time. The Azawad movement itself is not a project to create a separate "Tuareg-only" state with clear borders. By "Azawad" militants mean the place where all Tuareg confederations live.

2023: Working relations with Algerian government

The Algerian government has not been discrediting Tuareg rebels or "trapping" them since the end of the 20th century, when the parties came to peace agreements. On the contrary, the authorities of the North African country even benefit from the presence of Azawad in the Sahel and the Sahara desert. And not only because part of the Tuareg clans historically live in Algeria and their interests must also be reckoned with.

Remote from the center, the vast and poorly populated territories in southern Algeria create difficulties for the rapid response to attacks and the organization of counterattacks by the country's army. Using the tactics "hit-run," the militants are greatly exhausting the armed forces, which makes the process of fighting terrorists extremely difficult and resource-intensive, wrote "Rybar."

At the same time, Azawad militants, despite a temporary truce with radical Islamists in Mali (on the principle of "enemy of my enemy"), claim the same territories of southern Sahara and the Sahel, which often leads to armed confrontation with terrorists in order to maintain control.

In turn, the Algerian authorities and special services, more than once seen in negotiations with the Tuareg and with radical Islamists, are trying to control the processes taking place in sparsely populated regions. For example, Algerian authorities turn a blind eye to the fact that their southern territories often become a transit point for the Azawad Coordination Movement to move around the region. It is through Algeria that Tuareg tribal leaders travel to various meetings.

Also, the Algerian authorities provide their mediation services to French intelligence to coordinate activities and negotiate with Azawad militants.

In reality, the conflict between the Algerian authorities and the Tuareg is not needed by both parties, since such a situational "alliance" is beneficial to them. Some help keep terrorist groups in line in the Sahel, others turn a blind eye to "suspicious" movements and help keep in touch with Paris.