Alghabass Ag Intalla

Amghar
Alghabass Ag Intalla
Intalla in November 2012
Representative of Kidal in the National Assembly
In office
2002–2012
Secretary-general of the High Council for the Unity of Azawad
In office
July 2014 – 30 November 2024
Secretary-general of the Islamic Movement of Azawad
In office
January 2013 – May 19, 2013
Personal details
Born1971 (age 54–55)
Kidal, Mali
Military service
AllegianceAzawad MNLA (2012)
Ansar Dine (2012–2013)
Islamic Movement of Azawad (2013)
HCUA (2013–2024)
CMA (2016–2024)
Azawad Liberation Front (2024–present)

Alghabass Ag Intalla (born 1971) is a Malian Tuareg politician and military commander who is serving as the leader of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) since 2024. He also served as the secretary-general of the Coordination of Azawad Movements and was a senior leader in the High Council for the Unity of Azawad.

Born in Kidal into a family belonging to the Kel Adagh clan of Tuaregs, he became involved in national politics during his teenage years. He served as the representative of Kidal in the National Assembly from 2002 until 2012 when the Mali War broke out. Intalla initially joined National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) to fight the Malian Army, though quickly switched allegiances to Ansar Dine. He rose to becoming the second-in-command of Ansar Dine within months, representing the movement in Burkina Faso in 2012. Ideologically a moderate Islamist and Azawadian nationalist, Intalla broke up with Ansar Dine in early 2013 and founded the Islamic Movement of Azawad (MIA), of which he was the secretary-general. Few months later, he merged his militant faction into the High Council for the Unity of Azawad, led by his older brother Mohamed.

Intalla maintains a popular image among Tuaregs. He is also known to have close ties with the Qatari royal family, for whom he has arranged hunting trips in the Sahara.

Early life and family

Alghabbas Ag Intalla was born in 1971 in Kidal to a noble Kel Adagh Tuareg family. His father, Intalla Ag Attaher, was the Amenokal (tribal chief) of Kidal since 1963, but due to ailing health, transferred most of his powers to Alghabbas. He has two older brothers; Mohamed and Attayoub. Mohamed succeeded his father as the Amenokal (tribal chief) of the Kidal region.

Political career

Alghabass was a deputy in Mali's National Assembly serving as the representative of Kidal from 2002 to 2012. Alghabass's initial political popularity that won him elections in 2002 shrank in 2007 and 2012.

When the rebellion began, he joined the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) but quickly switched to Ansar Dine. In Ansar Dine, he claimed to fight to establish Sharia law in northern Mali. Alghabass quickly became the face of Ansar Dine in political negotiations as the group's second-in-command, and represented the movement in negotiations in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in late 2012. In January 2013, just days before the French intervention of Operation Serval, Alghabass left Ansar Dine and founded the Islamic Movement of Azawad (MIA), of which he was the Secretary-general. He announced the dissolution of the MIA in May 2013, joining the High Council for the Unity of Azawad founded by his brother Mohamed instead.

Alghabass became the HCUA's Secretary-general in July 2014, representing the group along with the Arab Movement of Azawad and the MNLA in negotiations in Algiers in 2014. Following his father Intalla's death in December 2014, Alghabass was expected to succeed him as Amenokal of the Ifoghas. This position was instead granted to Mohamed, who was preferred by Intalla before his death. Ifoghas leaders appointed Mohamed for the role because of this, and despite Alghabass' charisma and activity within the Ifoghas community, his past in Ansar Dine could've swayed the decision by the leaders toward Mohamed.[speculation?]

On 16 December 2016, and in July 2022, Alghabass succeeded Bilal Ag Acherif as president of the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA). Acherif and Alghabass took turns in the role for the next few months. In 2018, it was speculated that Alghabass still was in contact with jihadist leader and former Ansar Dine compatriot Iyad Ag Ghali. In December 2019, Alghabass called for the different groups within the CMA to merge into one.

In early 2023, tensions between Alghabass and Malian junta leader Assimi Goïta rose over the implementation of the Algiers Accords. Under Alghabass' command, the CMA's groups merged into one entity, left the Algiers Accords, and launched an operation to combat the Islamic State – Sahil Province (ISGS) in northern Mali. A major reason for tension with the Malian junta was the junta's alliance with the Russian Wagner Group, known for its killings of civilians in Mali. Alghabass stepped down from the presidency of the CMA in 2023, which was then led instead by Ibrahim Ould Handa.

Under Alghabass's administration of the Kidal region, the CMA was effectively a structured government operating under Islamic law with Islamic courts. Alghabass was the one that signed a CMA statement implementing the qadis, or Islamic judges, which sparked controversy by critics claiming that the CMA and qadis were interconnected, which the CMA decried.

In November 2024, Intalla merged his group into the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), of which he became the military leader.

In June 2025, Alghabass sent an open letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, calling upon him to stop helping the Malian government and support the "oppressed Muslims".

References

  1. 1 2 "A Profile of Alghabass ag Intallah: Reasserting Traditional Tuareg Leadership at the Expense of Ansar al-Din - Jamestown". Jamestown. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  2. ↑ "72e Assemblée générale des Nations unies : Algabass Ag intalla a bel et bien obtenu son visa pour les Etats-Unis". kibaru.ml (in French). 2017-09-19. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  3. ↑ "Mali: le chef traditionnel des Ifoghas, Intalla ag Attaher, est mort". RFI (in French). 2014-12-19. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  4. 1 2 "Mali : retour en cinq dates sur la vie d'Intalla Ag Attaher, aménokal des Ifoghas - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  5. 1 2 "Mali : dix choses à savoir sur Alghabass ag Intalla, incontournable chef touareg et président de la CMA - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  6. 1 2 3 Thurston, Alex (2018). "Mali's Tragic but Persistent Status Quo" (PDF). Sahel Research Group. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Mali : Iyad Ag Ghali, rebelle dans l'âme - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  8. ↑ "Rébellion touarègue : Gao, QG de l'armée et dernier rempart avant les combats au Nord-Mali - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  9. 1 2 "Traditional authorities in Mali: armed alliances and insecurity | The Status Quo Defied". www.clingendael.org. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  10. ↑ "Mali : scission au sein d'Ansar Eddine". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  11. ↑ "Mali: le Haut Conseil de l'Azawad met en place ses instances". RFI (in French). 2013-05-19. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  12. ↑ "Alger: autorités et groupes armés maliens entament les discussions". RFI (in French). 2014-07-16. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  13. ↑ "Mali: Mohamed ag Intalla succède à son père à Kidal". RFI (in French). 2014-12-27. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  14. ↑ "Mali: qui pour succéder à Intalla ag Attaher?". RFI (in French). 2014-12-19. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  15. ↑ "Alghabass Ag Intalla : " les combattants qui s'engagent savent qu'ils peuvent mourir au combat. Ce ne sont pas des chômeurs que nous envoyons pour toucher un salaire"". Nordsud Journal (in French). 2017-02-16. Archived from the original on 2017-02-17. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  16. ↑ "Dans le nord du Mali, un groupe armé appelle à l'union sous forme de mouvement politique". Le Monde (in French). 2019-10-28. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  17. 1 2 "Mali: Showdown between Assimi Goïta and Alghabass Ag Intalla threatens peace process". The Africa Report.com. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  18. ↑ "Mali's army and suspected Russia-linked mercenaries committed 'new atrocities,' rights group says". AP News. 2023-07-24. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  19. ↑ "Nord du Mali : dix choses à savoir sur Ibrahim Ould Handa, nouveau patron de la CMA - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  20. ↑ "In Mali's Kidal, former rebels enforce law and order". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  21. ↑ "Mali: les rebelles du Nord combattent désormais pour l'indépendance et subissent un premier revers" [Mali: Northern rebels now fight for independence and suffer a first setback]. RFI (in French). 2 December 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  22. ↑ "ABBAS AG ANTALA SENDS AN OPEN LETTER TO TURKISH PRESIDENT TAYYIP ERDOGAN – AZAWAD SUPPORT GROUP". 2025-06-01. Retrieved 2026-04-26.