Amghar
Bilal Ag Alcherif
بلال أغ الشريف
President of the Transitional Council of the State of Azawad
In office
6 April 2012 – 12 July 2012
Vice PresidentMahamadou Djeri Maïga
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPosition abolished
General Secretary of the MNLA
Assumed office
October 2011
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
Born1977 (age 46–47)
Kidal Region, Mali
NationalityAzawadi

Bilal Ag Acherif (Arabic: بلال أغ الشريف) (born 1977 in Kidal Region, Mali,[1] last name alternatively spelled Cherif)[2] is the Secretary-General of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and president of a briefly independent Azawad.[3][4]

He was president of Azawad from April to July of 2012 before the Malian Armed Forces recaptured many cities and Azawad collapsed.

Biography

Pre Presidency

In 1993, he left Mali for Libya to study political science and later returned in 2010.[5]

Interim Presidency

On 6 April of 2012, he posted a statement to its website in which he declared the independence of Azawad from Mali.[6] It was supported by Ansar Dine an Islamic organization from 2012-2017. This was not recognized by any nation or entity.

On May 26, 2012 he made a pact with Asnar Dine in which both would form an Islamic State.[7]

On 26 June 2012, he was wounded in clashes between MNLA fighters and the Islamist Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa during the northern Mali conflict. According to an MNLA spokesperson, he was taken to Burkina Faso for medical care.[8][9]

Post Presidency

In the months after his presidency he met with Cyril Vainer in Paris to discuss the Mali War.[10]

In 2014, Bilal Ag Acherif took over the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA)'s presidency, until being succeeded by Alghabass Ag Intalla on December 16, 2016.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ "Mali's shaky rebel alliance and a looming war". The Africa Report. July 5, 2012. Archived from the original on July 6, 2012.
  2. ^ Elhadj Ould Brahim (19 February 2012), Conflict in Northern Mali: Internal Facts and Regional Impacts (PDF), Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, p. 3[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "Tuareg rebels announce 'end of military operations' in Mali". Channel NewsAsia. Agence France-Presse. 5 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Explainer: Tuareg-led rebellion in north Mali - Africa". Al Jazeera English. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  5. ^ Vogl, Martin (5 July 2012). "Mali's shaky rebel alliance and a looming war". The Africa Report.
  6. ^ "Mali's Tuareg rebels declare independence | Mali | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  7. ^ "Mali Tuareg and Islamist rebels agree on Islamist state". BBC News. 2012-05-26. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  8. ^ "Mali: Islamists seize Gao from Tuareg rebels". BBC News. June 27, 2012. Archived from the original on December 23, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  9. ^ Serge Daniel (June 27, 2012). "Islamists seize north Mali town, at least 21 dead in clashes". Agence France-Presse. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  10. ^ "The Interview - Bilal Ag Acherif, President of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad". France 24. 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2023-08-02.


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