ASC-075287668-2887-01

MALI’S MISSION CIVILISATRICE 149Zeyd informs you of the impending bombardment of the Cercle of Kidal by theFrench forces. 81Rumours and panic were not the prerogative of the Malian administration.The Kel Adagh were just as much informed by rumours about what exactly theMalian Government wanted to do. In February 1962, the increase in cattle taxwas announced. In July that year, the Malian Franc was created to curtail illegalexports, especially of cattle. But the Kel Adagh exported their cattle outside theWest African monetary economy. They drove their herds to Algeria and exchangedtheir revenues directly for consumer goods, without ever seeing a customsofficer. Therefore they had to be persuaded to stop this practice and selltheir cattle within Mali, a policy that was only partly understood. In October1962, the rumour spread that Mali wanted to nationalise all livestock. What wasunderstood as nationalisation was the requisition of all cattle by the Government.At that stage requisition or nationalisation of cattle as means of productionwas not included in government plans at all. This rumour was notconfined to the Adagh. Zeyd ag Attaher and a delegation of Ifoghas notablesbrought the matter forward to Commandant de Cercle Mohamed Najim. Notbelieving his explanations, they set out to Gao to have a clarification on thematter. Badi ould Hammoadi, the cheick of the Kounta federation brought theissue to Bamako to receive an explanation. 82 To counter the rumour, the Ministerof Finance, Attaher Maiga, and Modibo Keita himself toured the Norththroughout November to inform the population on the true nature of Mali’slivestock politics and the need to sell cattle within Mali, instead of in Algeriaand Niger. 83In this climate of fear and distrust, small incidents could well be blown outof proportion into a blazing rebellion. A few months before independence agoumier collecting taxes had an argument with a certain Inadjelim ag Ebanzen,a notable of the Iforgoumoussen tribe. 84 During the argument Inadjelim drew hissword in anger, upon which the goumier either shot him in the thigh or killedhim on the spot. In any case, Inadjelim did not survive the incident. Thegoumier was not punished for this, although inquiries were made about hisactions. 85 In the following days however, a delegation of Ifoghas complained toCommandant de Cercle Mohamed Najim about the killing of Inadjelim, and the8182838485Chef d’Arrondissement d’Aguel’hoc à Cdt. Cercle Kidal. 01/09/ 1961, no 44/CF/AA. ACK.Chef d’Arrondissement de Tessalit à Cdt. Cercle Kidal. 27/08/62, Confidentiel no./AT/CF. ACK.L’Essor, 07/11/1962.Télégramme officiel de Subdivision de Kidal à Chef de Subdivisdion de Kidal àTessalit, no 351/Ki. 16/05/1960. ACK.Bâ Baba à Cdt. Cercle Kidal, n.d. ACK.