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35-723: Historically, the Tilemsi Arabs have been vassals of the Kuntas Arabs. Tilemsi oral history states that the Tilemsi arrived in modern-day Mali just before French colonization, after being asked to immigrate by the Kuntas in their war against the Iwellemmedan . The names of the original Tilemsi émigrés descend from traditional Mauritanian names, but did not follow the Mauritanian naming system . After

70-666: A senior officer in the Islamic police of Gao . He joined Katiba Osama Bin Laden, led by Ahmed al-Tilemsi . In 2014, Daha claimed to have never fought against the Malian Army. His rationale for joining MOJWA, according to a 2014 interview, was that MOJWA consisted of drug traffickers and those looking for money, and protected them from the MNLA. Daha served as the leader of the mafia wing of MOJWA, engaging in drug trafficking. He stated in 2014 that he

105-506: A small ethnic Kounta insurgency, begun in 2004 by a former army colonel, though few attacks have been staged and the leadership has been largely rejected by the Kunta community. The Kuntas are described as a high-caste tribe whose political and economic pre-eminence in the region comes from their assumed descent from the Prophet. They have a leading economic position in the area of Northern Mali since

140-484: A smaller extent, Kuntas. Despite the end of the war between Kuntas and Lemhars, tensions were still high between the two groups. In January 2010, Lemhars assassinated Sidi al-Mokhtar al-Kunti, the head of the Kuntas in Gao Region, after a Kunta attack on a drug convoy run by Lemhars. Many Lemhar Arab notables who got rich off the drug trade live in an affluent district of Gao known as Cocainebougou, or "Cocaineville". One of

175-619: A trip to Niger having a great encounter with the Kunta. Hourst saw that the Kunta were a clan that have good relationships with one another. The Kunta saw that having a relationship with the French would help them deal with authority as it has been decreasing since the passing of Ahmad al Bakkay's death. The Kunta were located in two known areas as one group lived in the Goruma along the Niger River at Kagha and east of Timbuktu. The other larger group were in

210-644: The Battle of Tabankort in 2014, becoming the military commander of Platform. Daha was arrested by the French Army on the night between July 28–29, 2014, on suspicion of being involved in a July 14 attack that killed a French soldier. He was questioned for four to five days, and then handed to Malian authorities in Bamako. Daha was released by Mali on August 7. In an August 2014 interview, Daha reaffirmed his pro-Malian and pro-French positions, but claimed that he believed France

245-698: The Niger Bend at this time: A small group in Gourma (right bank of the Niger) at Kagha (east of Timbuktu) and around Lake Garou , and a larger group north of the river between Bamba and Bourem . While the nomadic Kunta clans were "pacified" early by French colonial forces , the urban Kounta trading and religious groups to the east were instrumental in the Fulani Jihad States of the Sokoto Caliphate , Macina , and

280-481: The Segou Tijaniyya Jihad state of Umar Tall . Some leaders of the Kunta in north east Mali have come into conflict with Tuareg and Bambara populations in towns where they once held a near monopoly on political power. In 1998–1999 and again in 2004 there were brief flare-ups of intercommunal violence between these groups near Gao and Timbuktu a rare event in postcolonial Mali. There has even been

315-634: The Trans-Saharan trade . The Kunta are better known for their role as Islamic scholars. From Timbuktu, the Kunta were able to exert an enormous influence on the development of Islam in West Africa. They established different clerical identity. They as well did not use weapons when spreading the word of Islam. They are a large religious clan whose relations are the product of struggling and managing to deal with pressures such as invasions and droughts. The Kunta tribe separated into two groups. One group went into

350-452: The 15th century and going onward, the Kunta took the Qur'anic scholarship as "a means to wealth and therefore power as controllers of the trans-Saharan trade from Morocco to Timbuktu". This enabled the Kunta to control Qur'anic education. During the 18th century, Timbuktu was under Kunta rule. The Kunta had a well respected leader named Sīdī al-Mukhtār. Under the command of Shaykh Sidi al-Mukhtar in

385-558: The 19th century, the Kunta tribe were in charge of looking after transactions in Tuat and Taoideni known as Algeria. The Kunta clan were known to be powerful. They were part of an important lineage such as Hassan, Quraysh , Znaga and Tajakanet origin. This benefitted them in areas such as religious, political and commercial advantages. They were good with the trans-Saharan trade. A few of the Kunta people were either city officials as well as bureaucrats. The nomadic Kunta occupied two regions around

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420-420: The French occupation. The French were encouraging the Kunta to attack Iwellemmedan in order for them to accept this new colonial. They formed raids against them and took their goods as well as their slaves. Hammadi ould Muhammad Bu-Addi was an important figure to this alliance and he was known to the French as Hammoadi. Kunta under the French colonial didn't pay tax until 1905. In 1911, Alouata replaced Hammadi as

455-572: The Islamic Maghreb in the 2000s and early 2010s, and served as a mediator between the group and European nations following the kidnapping of European nationals in Algeria in 2003. He also served as a mediator in negotiations for the release of Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler, connecting Burkinabe official Moustapha Ould Limam Chafi with Mokhtar Belmokhtar . When jihadist groups like AQIM, Ansar Dine , and MOJWA took control of northern Malian cities at

490-525: The Iwellemmedan group killing 20 people. On December 25, 1908, there was a meeting with the Kunta, Iwellemmedan and Kel Ifoghas to settle their differences. They created separate zones for pasture for each one. In 1909, the French formed buffer zones separating Kunta and Iwellemmedan. This didn't put an end to the violence, in 1911 the Iwellemmedan raided the Kunta leaving 13 people dead. Faidherbe had established permanent relations with one Kunta fragment in

525-569: The Kunta Arabs, the Kunta are more economically prosperous and politically dominant than many Tuareg in that region. The Kunta marabouts (Islamic scholars) interpret the Qur'an for some Tuareg residents in the community. As helpful as this may be to the Tuareg, they also see the marabouts as trouble. Kunta groups of prestigious marabouts who dominate some parts of northern Mali economically, religiously, and politically offer higher bridewealth than most of

560-455: The Kunta in order to conquer the local resisting Tuareg groups. In a small rural community in Northern Mali the two group's relationship can be characterized as both conflicting and cooperative. Tuareg and Kunta relations have both mutual dependence and close cooperation in intermarriages, trading, and Qur'anic consultations. Even though, the Tuareg view themselves as a community distinct from

595-411: The Kunta leader. In 1903, the Iwellemmedan officially surrendered under the French colonial but it didn't stop the tensions between the Kunta and Iwellemmedan. The Kunta had benefited more than the French but in 1903, the French still allowed the Kunta to attack them. The conflicts with one another didn't stop even with the effort of the French trying to put this conflict to an end. The Kunta had attacked

630-663: The Kuntas until 2005, when a split resulting from drug trafficking intensified over the Mechdouf enjoying preference in government positions during the Amadou Toumani Touré . This split between Mechdouf and Lemhar contributed to the split in pro-government and pro-rebel factions of the Arab Movement of Azawad . Some Mechdouf Arabs also live in Mauritania . In Mali, they are considered a "warrior tribe." Lemhar Arabs are established in

665-487: The Tilemsi and the Kuntas. When a Tilemsi Arab ran in local elections in 2002, Tilemsi notables refused paying the jiziya , or tribute, to Kuntas. This led to a war between the Tilemsi and Kuntas that subsided in 2006. Tilemsi Arabs are most numerous in the fourth district of Gao, which was built relatively recently. The term ahl al-gibla refers to Arabic speakers of Mauritanian origin who immigrated to Gao Region recently. Mechdouf Arabs and Lemhar Arabs were allied against

700-646: The Tilemsi valley near Gao, and have been known their activity in the drug-trafficking industry and connections with Islamist groups during the Mali War . When the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa captured swathes of Gao Region in 2012, it sought significant support from Lemhar Arabs amidst ethnic conflict with the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad , which was composed predominantly of Tuaregs and to

735-411: The Tuareg for having weakened their power by the second half of the 19th century. In the year 1899, the Kunta moved towards a formal alliance with the French by going to Timbuktu in person to show their seriousness in wanting to work with them. In the meeting, they gave valuable information on the Tuareg clan for the French to use. They also were willing to have their own people fight the Tuareg and accept

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770-495: The drug trade such as Bourem deputy Mohamed Ould Mataly, joined the jihadist groups after their takeover of Gao. Some former members of MUJAO, spearheaded by Lemhar Yoro Ould Daha , defected to the pro-government faction of the Arab Movement of Azawad . Kunta (tribe) The Kountas or Kuntas (singular: Elkentawi or Alkanata ) are described originally as Arabs, descendants of Uqba ibn Nafi . The Kunta tribe are also considered to have roots to Sidi Ahmad al-Bakkay ,

805-430: The early nineteenth century. Faidherbe attracted a number of Kunta clerics and merchants, he signed a treaty of peace and commerce with one of their representatives from Timbuktu. Yoro Ould Daha Mahri Sidi Amar Ben Daha , nom de guerre Yoro Ould Daha , was a Malian Arab warlord who fought in Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA) and the Arab Movement of Azawad 's pro-government faction. Daha

840-422: The fertility of humans, crops, and livestock. The Kunta and the French had a great relationship with each other due to their commercial interests. The Kunta had a very good view from the French especially before the French colonial occupation because Ahmad al-Bakkay al Kunti vowed to protect Hienrich Barth as he had visited Timbuktu in the year 1826. In the year 1895 to 1896, Hourst (Lieutenant de vaisseau) made

875-464: The founder, who died in the early 16th century. The Kunta originated in Qayrawan . The Kunta was formed during the 9th/15th or possibly during the 10th/16th century. They were located in the north-west side of Shara. The Kounta were instrumental in the expansion of Islam into sub-Saharan West Africa in the 15th century, and formed an urban elite in cities such as Timbuktu which were on the southern end of

910-479: The left bank of Haoussa to the north of the Niger River. French didn't need the Kunta group located in Goruma but rather needed an alliance with the Kunta group located in the north part of the river for political benefits. That same year, prior to the colonial occupation, Abidin al- Kunti and his sons had opposed this but it didn't stop the French-Kunta alliance to occur. The Kunta wanted to regain power and go against

945-414: The poorer Tuareg men can afford. This causes the Tuareg to resent Kunta men for stealing all the most beautiful women and not needing these wives to perform laborious domestic work. A few Tuareg women see these marriages as prestigious and advantageous since it frees them from arduous physical labor. The Kunta and the Tuareg men have long competed over women to marry, interpretations of Islam, water, and for

980-475: The richest and most notable Lemhars, Baba Ould Cheikh , was the former mayor of Tarkint and was involved the Air Cocaine scandal in the late 2000s. Other notable Lemhar personalities such as Cherif Ould Taher , Mohamed Ould Ahmed Deya, and Sultan Ould Bady . These traffickers often operate under names like "Nour Transport", "Tilemsi Transport", and "Antilope Tea." Cheikh was in close contact with Al-Qaeda in

1015-444: The second half of the 18th century the Kunta were successful. Sīdī al-Mukhtār helped settle the Kunta's quarrels especially among the pastoral tribes. This lead the Kunta having a great influence on commerce and urban society. They also have had great influence in the northern and western Africa. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Kunta tribe were perhaps the most prolific of any group in producing written materials. During

1050-419: The start of the 20th century. Due to their family networks, the Kunta controlled the trading routes across the borders, especially towards Algeria. The Kunta and the Tuareg have had an entangled relationship for at least a millennium. The Kunta and Tuareg have cultural ties but also have political tensions. In the early 20th century, the Tuareg and Kunta had economic inequalities because of the French, who armed

1085-516: The start of the Mali War, many Lemhar traffickers aligned with them to protect their businesses and settle the dispute with the Kuntas. Ahmed al-Tilemsi notably fought for these groups to protect his drug trafficking business. The core of MOJWA consisted of Lemhars until July 2012, when the group attempted to recruit from other ethnic groups. The main financiers of these groups were drug traffickers such as Taher and Deya. Other Lemhar notables not connected

Tilemsi Arabs - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-523: The war, the Tilemsi that stayed in Mali accepted a lower social caste than the Kuntas. In Mali, as part of the "lahda" fraud of the 1970s, Kuntas employed Tilemsi Arabs to conduct illegal trade and smuggle goods across the Malian and Algerian borders. The Tilemsi earned enough money from the trade to overtake their former bosses economically. In 2000, the accumulated success from the Tilemsi Arabs caused tensions between

1155-672: The west while the second group moved to the Central Western Sahara and the South Western Sahara. The Kunta hold a role of prominence in the Southern Sahara that can be traced back to many centuries ago. They gained prominence in the Azawad during the lifetime of Sīdī al-Mukhtār al-Kuntī (d. 1811) and his child, Sīdī Muhammad (d. 1826). "Kunta" is an Arabic word ( كُنْتَ ), meaning, "you were," (2nd person, male). Starting from

1190-523: Was born on January 1, 1978, to a Lemhar Arab family in Djebok , Mali. He was a child when the Tuareg rebellion of the 1990s broke out, but received his first military training during the conflict. Daha claimed to have fought in the 1990s rebellion in clashes between Arabs and Kuntas , and then later between Arabs and Ganda Koy . Before the Mali War broke out in 2012, Daha joined the ranks of MOJWA , becoming

1225-584: Was working with drug traffickers before joining MOJWA. When French forces intervened in Mali through Operation Serval , Daha fled to Algeria, with his house in Gao being looted by residents. Daha joined the Arab Movement of Azawad and Platform in April 2014, becoming one of the military commanders of the movement. That July, he clashed with MNLA , HCUA , and rebel MAA fighters at a military base in Tarkint. He then fought in

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