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ALFELLAGA 181diary. In return for his help, Morocco arrested and expelled Mohamed Ali agAttaher Insar in March 1964. 63After the expulsion and arrest of Mohamed Ali ag Attaher Insar, anothermore major blow was struck to the ifulagen: The capture of Elledi ag Alla byMalian forces on 9 March 1964 at Intachara, Algeria. Elledi was perhaps not themost important military leader, but as the son of a famous rebel against Franceand the instigator of the conflict, his prestige and renown was greater than thatof any other combatant. After his arrest and severe torture, Elledi was given theoption between collaboration and direct execution. He chose the former. Thus,the Malian army was able to make further arrests within the network of rebels inMali.Psychological warfareThe arrested leaders were used in a campaign to demoralise both the supportivepopulation and the remaining fighters. Zeyd ag Attaher and Ilyas ag Ayyoubawere paraded through Kidal and the Adagh in a campaign of public humiliation.As is visible in Photo 4.1, Zeyd’s veil was draped around his neck as a shawl.Ilyas ag Ayyouba does not wear a veil at all. In those times, nothing was morehumiliating and dishonourable for a man than to show his face in public. IfZeyd had had to walk the streets with his pants around his ankles the effectwould not have been greater. But Zeyd was not simply unveiled. In the elaboratelanguage of honour that men express through their veil, draping it as ashawl expresses utter defeat and distress. 64 The same fate was bestowed uponMohamed Ali ag Attaher Insar. His picture was taken while he was unveiledand shown in the Adagh and elsewhere. 65 Thus the Malian forces wanted tomake sure the message came through, and it did.And what did Mali do? This is what the Tuareg have never been able to digest. Theyundressed them, Zeyd and Mohamed Ali, and they exposed them throughout Tamasheqcountry as if to say: “Here are the men you counted on”. They did this inGoundam, they did this in Timbuktu, in all of the country. The soldiers spat onthem, they undressed them (...) undressed them. This is what the Tuareg could neverdigest. They were the most respected among men. Doing something like that is likekilling someone’s soul. 6663646566The date of Mohamed Ali’s expulsion is based on: Interrogatoire du prisonnierrebelle Eladi ag Alla par le Capitaine Diby Sillas Diarra, Commandant d’armes et duCercle de Kidal, 13/04/1964. ACK. The explanation that his arrest and expulsion toMali are linked to Modibo Keita’s intervention in the Moroccan–Algerian conflict iscommon in the Adagh and elsewhere in the Tamasheq world.Claudot-Hawad, H. 1993d.Ibid.: 32.Interview with Amegha ag Sherif. Brussels, October 1994.

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