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REVOLUTION: TESHUMARA AND TANEKRA 207benefit of this trafficking was that the remaining inhabitants of Northern Maliand Niger were provided with basic products, unavailable at reasonable pricesin the state-run shops at home. Most ishumar would spend the money earned onluxury items, such as watches, stereos, sunglasses or other consumer goods.Others would save their money and invest it in more trafficking; buying trucksand off road vehicles to facilitate transport. The experience in trafficking consumergoods that many ishumar acquired during the 1970s and 1980s proved tobe of immense value during the rebellion, when petrol, food and weapons hadto be brought into Mali. Many ishumar varied their economic existence, takingup jobs as herdsmen or gardeners, moving on to masonry, saving some money,which would then be invested in smuggling. Or they would set up legitimatebusinesses if they had access to the Algerian or Libyan administration to obtainthe necessary papers.Whenever the host states could, they tried to expel the unwelcome KelTamasheq. In the late 1960s, the Algerian local authorities had discussed thepossibility of sending back those Kel Adagh who had fled from Alfellaga. Atthe time, a number of these Kel Adagh had volunteered to return, as the firstsigns of the upcoming great drought were already noticeable in Algeria. TheMalian authorities, however, refused to have them back. Since they had optedfor Algeria as their fatherland, the Kel Adagh had to bear the consequences ofthis decision for better or worse. Nevertheless, in 1970, a first group of KelAdagh was expelled from Algeria to Mali, without the consent of the Malianauthorities that closely monitored the returnees. 40 In 1974 and again in 1983,haphazard returns of drought refugees were organised in Niger as well as inAlgeria. 41 The largest expulsion from Algeria would come in April 1986, whenat least 6,000 Kel Tamasheq from Mali and 2,000 from Niger were rounded upin Tamanrasset and transported to the borders on trucks. At the borders theywere left to their own devices, without water or food. The expulsions had beenmerciless and were exposed in the international media. From 1987 onwards, theAlgerian Government started a larger, better-planned project to reintegrate thedrought refugees in their countries of origin with the help of UN-FIDA. Theprogramme came into effect at the end of 1989. 42 In Libya, the Kel Tamasheqwere slightly more welcome, especially after a speech by Colonel Mu’ammarQadhafi in 1982, in which he declared Libya to be the home country and placeof origin of all the Kel Tamasheq, which gave them the undeniable right to‘return’ there. In practice the Kel Tamasheq were confronted with Libyanracism and discrimination. Many Kel Tamasheq migrants were arrested and404142Cercle de Kidal, Revue des évènements du 2ème trimestre 1970. ACK.Klute, G. 2001: 214.Ibid.: 217.