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234 CHAPTER 5The importance of territorial sovereignty was inscribed on the movementthrough the logic of the existing states of Mali and Niger. At the heart of theproblem of Tamasheq unity lay its division between various states, and theTanekra sought to overcome this division through independence from these.Therefore, the Tanekra insisted on a name referring to land that would blot outall possible divisions between states and therefore between tribes. However, thepolitical construct of the existing states appeared too strong to be countered. Inthe 1980s, ishumar from both Mali and Niger found each other in diaspora inAlgeria and Libya. Both ‘Kel Mali’ and ‘Kel Niger’ joined the movement andentered the training camps provided by the Libyan army. In order to counter theidentity determined by the states they came from, a new name was invented inthe early 1980s: Kel Nimagiler, a garble of Mali and Niger. Ironically, the nametaken to indicate the unity of all ishumar opposing the postcolonial states wasderived exactly from these states. Only in the later days of the rebellions in bothcountries, when the once united movement was at its most fragmented alonglines of state and tribe did one newly created Nigerien movement refer to theTamasheq nation, the Front de Libération Temust (FLT), in what seemed to bean attempt to reinvigorate the idea of the Tamasheq nation.Some other important decisions were made in 1976 in the city of Adrar, andembedded in the rules of the movement. 85 The coming war against Mali wouldbe one without peace. The ultimate goal was total independence. The beginningsof an organisation were set up. The ishumar world was divided into geographicalsectors: Ouargla; Ghardaia; Adrar; Tindouf; Timeaouine, Djanet andLibya; and Mali. 86 In each sector, one of the attendants of the meeting would beresponsible for the organisation of the Tanekra. This person would control finance;he would be responsible for raising awareness; and he would be the maincontact person for the movement’s members in his sector. The treasury of eachsector was funded by a kind of tax. Those sworn in would henceforth contributepart of their earnings to the Tanekra organisation. At first, their money servedto pay for travel; to help out needy comrades; and to buy some material. Laterthe money was used to buy cars and military equipment, which were to be keptin hiding until the moment the uprising would start.Algeria and the POLISARIODespite the sworn secrecy, outside forces were informed about the existence ofthe Tanekra movement. The Algerian ‘secret services’ were in contact with the8586Interview with Mohamed Lamine ag Mohamed Fall. Kidal, May 1999.Nigerien Kel Tamasheq were not yet included at this stage, but had their own networksand organisation.