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ALFELLAGA 165ag Saghid, chief of the Irayakan, performed similar missions. The actions ofthese men should be seen in the light of their double bound position as intermediariesbetween state and society. It is not at all said that they approved ofthe actions of either side. Both the rebellion and the repressive counter actionsof the army went against their interest, which was peaceful continuation ofexistence under their intermediary rule. The violence also stirred their feelingsas men and Kel Adagh. Many of the rebels were their close relatives, as werethe victims of repression. The ifulagen highly mistrusted the chiefs. After all,they were servants of the Malian Government. One of the first victims of therebellion on the ‘Malian’ side was Enawnaw, the chief of the Irreguenaten, whowas shot by Elledi ag Alla for collaborating with the Malian Armed Forces. Thesame double bind as Kel Tamasheq and servants of the administration goes forthe goumiers who were deployed against the ifulagen, and thus forced to shootat their own kin. But the Malian Armed Forces also mistrusted both the chiefsand the goumiers. They were thus under double threat when they contacted orfought rebels, even if this was by order of the Malian officers. 25The ifulagen took material from the Malian army whenever they could. Butas the revolt continued also they took more and more camels from the KelAdagh themselves. The principal victims of these raids on livestock were goumiersand tribal chiefs. With the continuation of the revolt however, otherpeople suffered losses in animals by rebel raids as well. Many Kel Adaghcontributed means to the rebellion in the form of food, animals or cloth. Notnecessarily because they were in favour of the rebellion, but also to avoid beingraided by the rebels. Of course, genuine voluntary contributions were alsomade. The rebels’ actions towards the population will not have enhanced theirpopularity. As former rebel Bibi ag Ghassi put it: ‘The rest of the populationhad sided with the authorities and considered us a bunch of thieves’. 26 A raid oncivilian camel herds led by Elledi ag Alla in February 1964 failed since itsowners collectively managed to chase the ifulagen away. 27 Although manyjoined the rebels in Algeria or in Mali because of the army repression, onecannot uphold that this was always done with enthusiasm. Many were simplyleft with no choice.Another issue is the lack of support for the revolt outside the Adagh. PierreBoilley has explained why the revolt was limited to within the Adagh from a252627Le Sous-Lieutenant Mohamed ag Mohamed Elhadi, Commandant du GNIG de Tarkimtà chef d’escadron Commandant la Gendarmerie Nationale du Mali à Bamako.10/02/64. ACK.Interview held by Sidi Mohamed ag Zimrou with Bibi ag Ghassi. n.p. n.d. Courtesyof Georg Klute.Cercle de Kidal, Revue mensuelle des évènements du mois de mars 1964. ACK.