Northern Mali: When Messiahanism Feeds Extremisim

 After Mali's independence in 1960, this noble Tuareg aspiration has mutated into "rebellion" where the tradition of looters  and highwaymen vies with almost messianic chivalrous honour that refuses any form of submission to a central authority. The blog Croque Cactus  carries a remarkable analysis by Karim El Maghribi of historical attitudes which animate the fighters in northern Mali.

It adds to its original substrata that combines bold, tribalism, honour and courage with extremism imported from the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria. this provides the perfect breeding ground for any terrorist organization like Al Qaeda seeking a home . A few differences  of clothing and countryside and  northern Mali has the same physical and human characteristics as Afghanistan so that observers fear the afghanistanisation of Mali as French government Ministers and President Francois Hollande have pointed out.

But of all these traditions in northeast Mali, messianism seems by far the most insidious, and t dangerous in the long term. Indeed, the media and observers seem to ignore this messianic aspect of the tribes of northern Mali. But one just  has to listen to the oral tradition of Amazigh tribes of southern Morocco and Algeria to realise that the tradition of a Messiah who is to come from the depths of the Sahara to restore justice and morality in the decadent North is a strong influence.

 Already in the eleventh century, Ibn Toumert returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca landed in Morocco then after a detour through Baghdad and Damascus where he was initiated into the orthdodox achaarite doctrine. "He came back as a pure bigot, convinced of the decadence of the Almoravid sultans. He crossed several regions in Morocco and finally found refuge at Aghmat (near Marrakech). He acted primarily as a spiritual guide, convinced that tawhidisme (unification of faith, hence the name Almohads) has become a morality to beimposed on all. A recluse in the mountains, he invites people to swear allegiance to him and opens the way to a dynasty of caliphs ".

According to the official history, Ibn Toumert was an imposter who tried to seize power. This may be true. But more important is the fact that he was deemed useful as the Messiah to mobilise his troops. It was a powerful idea especially as the awaited Messiah is not known for his nationality or origin. Except that the place where he lived was a desert region on the edge of two cultures, two civilizations. Where injustice reigns.

The Azawad,an almost arid territory, located in the north of Mali, is just a transitional  zone between the Sahara space and the Sahel where slavery is still common. One of the conditions of the appearance of the Messiah would appear fulfilled.  The Messiah is not present in the Twelver Shia tradition. The Sunnis also speak about him. "The nature of the Mahdi is mentioned in the hadith of the Sunni tradition. The Mahdi will appear during the last days of the existence of the world and is a major sign of the end times. His coming precedes the second coming of Jesus on earth is the Messiah ". Only the theme of the "end of time" varies with Islam. It can be an asset as well as the last day of a time of great moral decay.

So the risk of a flare up of unsatiated hordes of jihadists and the messianism  in the north is real. This risk is even greater when these jihadists  act  in the  messianic  belief that they are campaigning to deliver their "blood brothers" from the yoke of injustice. Indeed, many Moroccans and Algerians have Malian blood in the veins and vice versa.

However, if Northern Mali seems to be the epicentre of any messianic jihadist earthquake, it could undermine northern neighbours (especially Morocco and Algeria) they have their little messiahs who are a kind of small sons, Ibn Toumerts who  seem to act as scouts. In a next war. In 2006, "suspected members of a terrorist  Moroccan network baptised as " Ansar El Mahdi " who captured two ministers and a  socialist secretary of state." Mahdi's allies saw the symbol of depravity in the socialist ministers.

Indeed one of the two who held the post of Minister of Economy was accused (wrongly, in fact) by a local weekly tabloid of being homosexual.A very serious accusation which is equivalent to a call to murder.

Similarly, the civil war that raged in Algeria since the late 1980s and the deadly confrontation between the Algerian army and armed Islamic groups seemed to be one of the focal triangle Mali / Algeria / Polisarioland. The fact which may explain the reluctance of Algiers regarding French intervention in northern Mali, unless it is for another reason, which is linked to the Sahara conflict.

Certainly, internalisation of conflict in Northern Mali could encourage separatists and the  especially disturbing presence of the Algerian army in the Polisario camps, especially as the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA in northern Mali), consisting mainly of Tuareg warriors (or free blue men ) , calls for the creation of an independent state that the Kabyle movement recognised immediately. Algiers knows that the international community could eventually cool the aspirations of  the MLNA sacrificing the Polisario on the altar of reason, the article concludes.