Tinzaouaten

For the Algerian commune located in In Guezzam Province, see Tin Zaouatine.

Tinzaouaten تين ظواتين ⵜⵉⵏⵣⴰⵡⴰⵜⴰⵏ
Commune and village
Tinzaouaten Location in Mali
Coordinates: 19°56′55″N 2°58′04″E
Country	Mali
Region	Kidal Region
Cercle	Abeïbara Cercle
Control	CSP-DPA
Area [1]
• Total	8,750 km^2 (3,380 sq mi)
Elevation	618 m (2,028 ft)
Population  (2009 census)[2]
• Total	2,300
• Density	0.26/km^2 (0.68/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (WAT)

Tinzaouaten (var. Tinzawatene and Tin-Zaouatene; Arabic: تين ظواتين) is a Saharan rural commune in the far northeast of Mali on the Algerian border.

Geography

The commune is in the Abeïbara Cercle of the Kidal Region. It included a stop on a trans-Saharan trade route and a military post on the frontier under the French colonial regime. In 2009 the 8,000 square kilometer commune had a population of 2,300, most of whom are nomadic Tuareg.[1] The Algerian settlement of Tin Zaoutine is on the Algerian side of the border.[3]

Recent history

In 2019, Tinzaouaten was the headquarters of the Al-Qaeda-associated terrorist group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin.[4]

Main article: Battle of Tinzaouaten (2024)

On July 25, 2024, Tuareg rebels of CSP-DPA ambushed a convoy of FAMA and Russian Wagner mercenaries in Tinzaouaten, beginning a 2-day battle. Over the course of the battle a sandstorm formed, forcing both sides to a temporary pause in fighting until July 26.[5] The battle ended on July 27 resulting in the loss of several FAMA armored vehicles, a FAMA helicopter and the claimed deaths of 10 FAMA soldiers, up to 25-80+ Wagner Group mercenaries and 20 CSP-DPA soldiers.[6]

References

1. Plan de Sécurité Alimentaire Commune Rurale Tinzawatene 2007-2011 (PDF) (in French), Commissariat à la Sécurité Alimentaire, République du Mali, USAID-Mali, 2007, archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-09-18, retrieved 2012-05-02.
2. Resultats Provisoires RGPH 2009 (Région de Kidal) (PDF) (in French), République de Mali: Institut National de la Statistique, archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-07-27, retrieved 2012-05-02.
3. fr:Tinzaouten
4. Pellerin, Mathieu (November 2019). "Armed violence in the Sahara" (PDF). IFRI. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-05-23. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
5. Bridger, Bianca (2024-07-25). "Tuareg rebels ambush Malian and Russian forces near the Algerian border". Atlas News. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
6. "Mali rebels say they killed and injured dozens of soldiers, Wagner mercenaries in fighting". Reuters. Bamako. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-27.

External links

• Le CARI (Centre d'Actions et de Réalisations Internationales), PAADAP Programme Agroecologique d'Appui au Developpement Agricole et Pastoral commune de Tin Zaouaten Adrar Des Iforas, Republique du Mali.