Education is the power to transform ignorance into wisdom. But in Azawad, education is compromised by the forced exodus of populations.
Since Goïta’s forcible seizure of power, the regime has chosen to nullify the Algiers Agreement and has preferred destruction to construction, death to life, and violence to peace. The Goïta regime seems to inherit a vision according to which Mali’s problems stem from the white population.
Mercenaries are deployed for a mission of systematic ethnic cleansing, with massacres, torture, arbitrary arrests, a scorched earth policy, the looting of property, the poisoning of water points, the destruction of schools, water towers, and mosques, and the replacement of indigenous populations with Black populations from the south. Unfortunately, the Azawadian population has no choice but to flee to neighboring countries in an effort to survive.
Some have found refuge in Mauritania, where they enjoy their fundamental rights, including protection, education, and health, thanks to cooperation with international human rights organizations. The refugees live peacefully in the Am-barra camp, where health centers and schools have been built.
In Niger, the displaced have also been welcomed with open arms by the Tuareg communities, who have implemented solutions to meet their basic needs. The children enroll without difficulty in Nigerien schools.
As for Algeria, a country with which Azawad shares close ties of subsistence, human values, and a policy of living together, it is paradoxical that the displaced Azawadians do not enjoy any status for political reasons. Algeria is a country that has always been linked to Azawad through commercial, cultural, and human exchanges.
The Azawadian people have always considered Algeria a sister country, with which they share values of solidarity, hospitality, and mutual respect. Despite this geographical and cultural proximity, displaced children cannot enroll in Algerian schools due to a lack of appropriate education policies.
It is time for the political class in Azawad to take concrete and urgent measures to guarantee access to education for Azawadian children displaced in Algeria.
We strongly appeal to the political class in Azawad to increase diplomatic efforts and strengthen relations with Algeria in order to find a lasting solution to this problem.
We also call on international human rights organizations to assume their responsibilities and intervene to guarantee the fundamental rights of the Azawadian people, particularly the right to education. Azawadian children have the right to a quality education, and it is our collective responsibility to provide them with this opportunity.
It would be wise for the political class of Azawad to strengthen its relations with Algeria to facilitate access to education for displaced Azawadian children and offer them more promising future prospects. This would not only safeguard the children’s future, but also strengthen ties between the two countries and promote a policy of living together.
Tohima Ag Liblina
The consequences of lack of education in Azawad and kidnappings and murders of teachers as a genocide weapon.
The consequences in Azawad due to the genocide situation is disastrous. Over the years, teachers have been forced to flee or have been kidnapped and killed by the Fama/Wagner duo, and children have been both forced to flee ending up in refugee camps or into exile, or been killed in for example various drone attacks by Turkish drones used by Wagner/Fama.
And the evidence of ethnic cleansing is abundant. There are numerous photos, videos, and reports from humanitarian organizations, as well as direct witness accounts. All which has now been handed over to the International Criminal Court by the various organizations that organized and attended the recent manifestation. A related post that has videos is here.
The result is that the children are deprived of their fundamental right to education. Keeping Azawad children ignorant could very well be of interest and thus, one of the weapons in this genocide to erase the Azawadian people.
Only in the regions of Timbuktu and Gao for example, there has been mass kidnappings, murderers and abuses of teachers, and according to a report by APMA, over 200 teachers has been murdered or robbed on their way to the towns or villages where they were supposed to teach. That was a year ago, there is most likely more now.
And the schools remain closed. International organizations cannot do anything about the situation as it seems, due to the security situation and their ability to have any activities at all in the area, and the genocide situation and the terrorist situation both, have resulted in mass displacement of thousands of children.
The only thing the Malian authorities seem to do is keeping silent about this situation while instead continuing their propaganda about the “strength” of their army and the so called “sovereignty”.
Is it normal to kidnap and kill school teachers? we don´t think so!
And it needs to be mentioned (quoting from the APMA report) that when Kidal was controlled by the CSP-DPA (now they are the Azawad Liberation Front, FLA) there was no interruption of teachings in the schools and the classes were taught without support from the Malian government and functioned well. People used their own resources and there was no interruptions – not until the arrival of the Malian army and Wagner’s mercenaries in Azawad.
Another thing to mention is that education can serve as a tool to integrate peace education to foster respect, understanding and tolerance in the preventing of future conflicts.
Picture credit to the photographer.
Azawad Support Group
19-06-25