Bilal Ag Acherif

Bilal Ag Acherif (born 1977,[1] last name alternatively spelled Cherif)[2] is the Secretary-General of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and president of a briefly independent Azawad.[3][4]

Bilal Ag Acherif
President of the Transitional Council of the State of Azawad
In office 6 April 2012 – 12 July 2012
Vice President	Mahamadou Djeri Maïga
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
General Secretary of the MNLA
Incumbent
Assumed office October 2011
Preceded by	Position established
Personal details
Born	1977 (age 42–43) Kidal Region, Mali
Nationality	Azawadi

In 1993, he left Mali for Libya to study political science and later returned in 2010.[5]

On 26 June 2012, he was wounded in clashes between MNLA fighters and the Islamist Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa during the northern Mali conflict. According to an MNLA spokesperson, he was taken to Burkina Faso for medical care.[6][7]

References

1. "Mali's shaky rebel alliance and a looming war". The Africa Report. July 5, 2012. Archived from the original on July 6, 2012.
2. Elhadj Ould Brahim (19 February 2012), Conflict in Northern Mali: Internal Facts and Regional Impacts (PDF), Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, p. 3
3. "Tuareg rebels announce 'end of military operations' in Mali". Channel NewsAsia. Agence France-Presse. 5 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
4. "Explainer: Tuareg-led rebellion in north Mali - Africa". Al Jazeera English. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
5. Vogl, Martin (5 July 2012). "Mali's shaky rebel alliance and a looming war". The Africa Report.
6. "Mali: Islamists seize Gao from Tuareg rebels". BBC News. June 27, 2012. Archived from the original on November 23, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
7. Serge Daniel (June 27, 2012). "Islamists seize north Mali town, at least 21 dead in clashes". Google News. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved June 27, 2012.