Ansar Dine

Ansar Dine (Arabic أنصار الدين, DMG Ansar al- Dīn ), " supporters of the Faith " is an Islamist group which is led by Iyad Ag Ghaly. Ag Ghaly is one of the most prominent figures of the second Tuareg rebellion in the 1990s. In 1990 he commanded as head of the former People's Movement of Azawad ( MPA), the attack on a military garrison in the eastern Ménaka. This is still regarded as the beginning of the revolt.

Ansar Dine wants to introduce Sharia (Islamic law ) in the West African nation of Mali. Ag Ghaly, the leader of Ansar Dine, who, after a stay in Pakistan its " true faith " was, according to information of his followers, said to the political events in the spring of 2012: " I do not want independence, I want the Sharia for my people. " and continues: " We are against revolutions that are not in the name of Islam." The unilateral declaration of independence MNLA he refuses. Furthermore, Ag Ghaly is accused of having links to Al- Qaeda in the Maghreb, as well as an Islamist splinter group, led by his cousin Hamada Ag Hama. The Islamist rebel group Ansar Dine 2012 controlled all the major cities in the north, such as Timbuktu.

Women must wear the veil, thieves must expect them the right hand is cut off without a constitutional verdict. In addition, Ansar Dine puts pressure on hotels, for consumption on the alcohol. Radio stations may not play international music more.

Ansar Dine does not fight as opposed to MNLA for a religiously neutral nation-state, but for an Islamist state in the region Azawad.

In May 2012, the MNLA and Ansar Dine have agreed to unite their forces and to establish an Islamic state in the northern territories controlled by them. A few days later, the agreement was, however, annulled. The alliance broke but finally on June 8 at the refusal of the secular MNLA to recognize Sharia law, and it came to the first skirmishes between the two groups. On June 28, 2012 Ansar Dine brought to Kidal and Gao and Timbuktu completely under their control, drove the MNLA out of the cities and placed there by the Sharia.

In May and June 2012 destroyed members of Ansar Dine the UNESCO World Heritage-listed mausoleum of Sidi Mahmoud Ben Amar in Timbuktu and threatened attacks on other mausoleums on. End of June 2012 Timbuktu was placed on the Red List of endangered world heritage site due to the armed conflict in Mali. Shortly after the destruction of the heritage-listed by the UNESCO tombs of Sidi Mahmoud, Sidi Moctar and Alpha Moya was continued under sub mockery of UNESCO.