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ALFELLAGA 177civilians, whom they viewed as accomplices and potential rebels. On 27 September1963, the army decided to try to cut the rebels off from their support bydeclaring the Adagh north to Kidal a forbidden zone (zone interdite). Thismeant that all of the Adagh was forbidden territory for its inhabitants sinceKidal is situated at the southernmost limit of the Adagh. Anyone found in thearea was considered a rebel and could be shot on sight. But evacuating all theKel Adagh to the utmost south of the Adagh was unfeasible. In January 1964,the policy was probably reformulated. The population was now to be concentratedin so-called regrouping zones (zones de regroupement) south and west ofKidal and around administrative posts and army bases at Aguelhoc, Telabit,Boughessa and Tessalit. The rest of the Adagh remained a ‘forbidden zone’. 51 Itis not clear how and to what extent the population was informed on these policies.We have to keep in mind that communication with a nomadic population isdifficult, despite the existence of population concentrations in the best inhabitableparts of the Adagh: The wadis, which were accessible to army vehicles. InDecember 1963, a campaign was organised to inform the population on(...) the social policy of our Party and at the same time their proper interests. Ingeneral, the nomadic populations, following the psychological political work of ourtroops and the call to the rebels by our head of State, divide themselves between twoopposing groups, in opinion as well as on the ground. The first group, and by far themost numerous, underwent the dynamic actions of our officers who are in charge oftheir political education, whereas the second group, situated in Algeria, has remainedunder the influence of the propaganda of the rebels, to whom they are, explicitlyor not, accomplices. 52Thus, part of the population knew about the new measures. But knowingabout them and being able to comply with them are two different matters. Theconcentration of the population would cause tremendous difficulties in theallocation of sufficient water and pastures to support the herds in such smallareas as those designated by the army. Thus, those Kel Adagh who knew aboutthe ‘forbidden zone’ were faced with the choice between complying – andwatching their herds perish within the regrouping zones – or risking their livesand those of their livestock by staying where they were.Question – Why did you flee from the soldiers when you saw them? They had toshoot your mounts to arrest you.5152Mali, Tableau des forces armées et forces publiques du Mali au 1er mai 1964.CHETOM – 15 H 77-2c. The idea that this policy was slightly altered in January1964 is based on: Cercle de Kidal, Revue mensuelle du mois de février 1964. ACK,which speaks of a zône de regroupement to the south and west of Kidal.Cercle de Kidal, Revue mensuelle des évènements du mois de décembre 1963.ACK.