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148 CHAPTER 3themselves. The French occupants of the Tessalit air base knew of the existenceof their FLN neighbours and vice versa. But in order for the French to continuetheir own air force presence at Tessalit, they could not complain. After all, sinceSeptember 1960, they were only guests in Mali. As for the Malian commanders,they of course knew of the situation, but it seems they were not allowed tointerfere in any way. Control over both the French base and the FLN campsseems to have been placed on a higher level. The only ones who could try toeffectively manipulate the presence of both foreign armies were the Kel Adagh.The Malian Government had put a number of men from the Groupement Nomadedu Timetrine, an army unit largely consisting of Kel Tamasheq, at thedisposal of the FLN as guides in the area. 78 The local population was regularlytreated on free meals by the FLN forces in Tessalit, and some had even joinedtheir ranks. In an essay entitled ‘Cette Afrique à venir’, published in his collectionPour la révolution africaine, Fanon even sketched a furtive plan tolaunch a new front in the Algerian war from Northern Mali using locally recruitedKel Tamasheq. 79 The FLN thus presented another source of rumour andconcern.I have the honour to inform you about the following. Information received from atrustworthy person on the whereabouts and behaviour of the Algerians in de circumscriptionsof the Région of Gao. It concerns the Algerian military stationed atKidal, Tessalit, Aguelhoc and Anefis. It seems these Algerian nationals, whom weconsider to be real brothers, are distributing arms to all the nomads in the GaoRégion, Cercles and Arrondissements cited above. They are staging an anti-Maliancampaign among the nomads, trying to convince them that they are of white skinand therefore their brothers in the white race. Several nomads have enrolled in theNational Liberation Army. 80Zeyd’s visit to Algeria in 1961 too was, not without reason, regarded withsuspicion by the Malian regime. After all, he had been talking to French agentsas well as to the Nigerien Minister of Nomad Affairs, and, possibly, with FLNleadership. Again, rumours ran high.I have the honour to send to you Assafah ag Mohamed, one of the suspects in theZeyd affair. He admits to have visited the latter, but he did not want to say anythingserious. With respect to the current rumours he declares that Halou Saloum who, onhis return from In Djezzal, has spread the word that he carries a message in which787980Fanon, F. 1964: 211.Ibid.: 214.Sous-Lieutenant Abidine Maïga, Commandant le compagnie de gendarmerie deGao, à Commandant de gendarmerie nationale du Mali, Bamako. Gao, 18/04/1962.Objet: Activité algérienne dans circonscription région Gao. ACK.