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REBELLION: AL-JEBHA 267fledged VIIIth Région. The Tamanrasset Agreement speaks of three Régions asif the Région of Kidal was already existent. The new Région would come intode jure existence in August 1991, but de facto with the Tamanrasset Agreement.29 Thus, the Kel Adagh had not only opted to remain part of Mali, but todo so apart from the other Kel Tamasheq communities. This manoeuvre did notearn the Kel Adagh any gratitude from the side of the other tewsiten in themovement, and will have undoubtedly contributed to the split between the KelAdagh and the others. Apart from hardliners fighting for independence, theFPLA could attract those moderates who were not Kel Adagh. These had nointerest in an administratively autonomous Région of Kidal since this wouldleave the Kel Tamasheq in the ‘old’ Région of Gao as a smaller minority againsta majority of Songhay and other sedentary populations.In November 1991 the Kel Adagh movement MPA split in two betweenIfoghas and those Kel Adagh of other tribal affiliation who founded the ArméeRévolutionaire pour la Libération de l’Azawad (ARLA), attracting the majorityof Kel Adagh fighters. The MPA now represented a minority movement of‘moderate’ Ifoghas and became subsequently seen as ‘the Ifoghas movement’,whereas the ARLA stood for the other Kel Adagh. The creation of the ARLAwas mostly justified through their proclaimed vision on the need for changewithin Tamasheq society. The largest number of ARLA members came fromthe ranks of the imghad or tilaqqiwin tribes who had stood under Ifoghas dominationin colonial times. The Keita Regime had promoted their status in theAdagh by declaring them to be the ‘oppressed masses’ and this discourse musthave struck a chord. It was especially the évolués of tilaqqiwin origin who hadstressed the ideals of social equality within the Teshumara movement, whilemany conservative Ifoghas attempted to maintain the idea of tribal hierarchyand status quo. Many ishumar felt a need to reform Tamasheq society throughthe abolition of caste, tribe and tribal chiefs. Ideas on equality and democracywere strongest among the intellectual elite of the ishumar, and these were generallyalso of imghad origins, as they had put up less resistance against educationand had been favoured by the Keita Regime. Paradoxically, the ARLA wasinitially joined by a majority of Idnan fighters. These joined not so much out ofagreement with the need to abolish the tribal structure of society, but largelybecause of the existing competition between tribes over political power withinthe tribal structure. As noted previously, the Idnan had been in competition withthe Ifoghas over primacy in the Adagh since early colonial times. Thiscompetition had led to the Tamanrasset war between the two tribes and their29The creation of the eighth Région Kidal was confirmed in an article on the Tamanrassetagreement in an article by Kaboré, G., ‘La paix fragile de Tamanrasset’, JeuneAfrique, 16-22/01/1991.