The attitude of the Tuareg revolutionaries of Azawad, whom the Malian coup plotters treat as “terrorists,” goes even beyond what is prescribed by international laws of war.
And it’s not to improve the organization’s image. It’s a principle of nomadic hospitality that is sacred to this people. In 2024, the FLA also treated the Wagner Russians well, surviving prisoners from a battle that the FLA also won. When providing food, it was fed directly to the wounded Russians.
The same Wagner Russians who raped and/or executed their mothers, sisters, or wives. None of this was reported by any media outlet. Nor will this be published in any newspaper today. Only those interested in what this people has been going through for about 60 years knows.
The Field Command of the Azawad Liberation Front, which rescued Kidal on April 25th, encountered Malian soldiers from a garrison that the Malian military junta left behind when the peaceful withdrawal from the Tuareg city was negotiated.
As always guided by ethics and respect for human life, the Azawad Liberation Front not only allowed the soldiers abandoned by the Junta to leave with their belongings (even the garrison’s milk goat), but also provided each Malian soldier with enough money to return to Bamako, the capital of Mali, and to feed themselves along the way.
Although, probably, these soldiers could kill an Azawad soldier at another time. Or an innocent civilian family, as is more common in Junta-controlled Mali.
Note: The straight-line distance (by air) between Kidal and Bamako, Mali, is approximately 1,198 km. By land, the route is significantly longer and crosses remote areas, generally exceeding 1,500 km, with the most common route passing near Gao and Mopti, although the security situation in the region may require alternative routes.
Straight-line distance: 1,198 km. Estimated travel time (by land): Often more than 20 hours of continuous driving, depending on road conditions and safety.
Liliam Brezinski
These are the heroes of Azawad who act in this way. And what does the world do? they are watching this coup government, that has seized power, massacring Azawadian children, women, and the elderly, and even practicing cannibalism.
The difference is immense.
Azawad Support Group
29-04-26