Prospects for peace in northern Mali: The Touareg Rebellion's causes, consequences, and peacebuilding process

This paper explores the causes of Mali's Touareg Rebellion (1990--1996) and the peacebuilding that brought it to an end. Using key informant interview data that I collected in 2006 in the Tombouctou region of northern Mali, I find that causes of the rebellion fall into two categories: factors that fostered Touareg grievances with the Malian central government, and factors that ignited these grievances. As frustrations boiled over, an isolated resistance movement in the Kidal region became a full-scale rebellion across the North. After six years of conflict interspersed with negotiation, local and sub-regional successes in peacebuilding and peace implementation have kept northern Mali free from open warfare since 1996. Despite this success, peace is precarious. Root causes not addressed by the Pacte National peace agreement leave open the possibility of a return to conflict. Renewed conflict would not only affect local populations, but would impact sub-regional and global security.