Kidal

Kidal (Tuareg: ⴾⴸⵍ, Kidal) is a town and commune in the desert region of northern Mali. The town lies 285 km (177 mi) northeast of Gao and is the capital of the Kidal Cercle and the Kidal Region. The commune has an area of about 9,910 km² (3,830 sq mi) and includes the town of Kidal and 31 other settlements.[2]

For other uses, see Kidal (disambiguation).

Kidal ⴾⴸⵍ
Commune and town
A craftsmen's house
Kidal Location in Mali
Coordinates: 18°26′20″N 1°24′30″E
Country	Mali
Region	Kidal Region
Cercle (district):	Kidal Cercle
Area
• Total	9,913 km^2 (3,827 sq mi)
Population  (2009)[1]
• Total	25,617
• Density	2.6/km^2 (6.7/sq mi)

History

On 30 March 2012, Kidal and its military base were captured by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad as part of the Tuareg rebellion for the independence of Azawad. A spokesman for the Malian military junta said "To preserve the life of the people of Kidal, the military command decided not to prolong the battle".[3] Gao and Timbuktu were captured within the next 48 hours, and on 6 April, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad declared the independence of Azawad from Mali.[4][5] In the course of the conflict the MNLA lost their control to Islamist militias.[6] On 30 January 2013 French and Malian forces moved into the town to bring it back under government control.[7]

On 14 December 2013, a car bombing in Kidal killed two United Nations peacekeepers.[8]

On 21 May 2014, MNLA forced government troops in Kidal to retreat after heavy fighting, capturing the military base.[9]

On 13 February 2020 Mali government forces returned to Kidal after six years.[10]

Demographics

Historical population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1998	11,159	—
2009	25,969	+7.98%
sources:[11]

The population of the city of Kidal has grown from 11,159 in 1998 to 25,969 in 2009, raising it's percentage in the Kidal Region from 26.3% to 38.3%.

Languages

Languages in Kidal City (2009 Census)[12]
Languages			percent
Tamasheq			79.13%
Songhai			7.18%
Bambara			5.51%
Arabic			3.78%
Other			4.4%

Kidal city is mainly Tamasheq speaking with 79.13% of the city speaking it in 2009. The second most spoken language in Kidal city is Songhai with 7.18% of the city speaking it. Other minority languages include Bambara spoken by 5.51% of the city, Arabic spoken by 3.78% of the city, and other minority languages spoken by 4.4%.

Gallery

• 
  Entry to the town
• 
  French colonial fortress at Kidal

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies it climate as hot desert (BWh), with extremely hot weather most of the year.

Climate data for Kidal (1950–2000)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	28.0 (82.4)	31.1 (88.0)	34.8 (94.6)	38.8 (101.8)	41.5 (106.7)	41.9 (107.4)	39.9 (103.8)	38.4 (101.1)	39.1 (102.4)	38.0 (100.4)	33.4 (92.1)	28.9 (84.0)	36.2 (97.2)
Average low °C (°F)	12.5 (54.5)	14.8 (58.6)	18.7 (65.7)	23.0 (73.4)	27.0 (80.6)	28.6 (83.5)	27.2 (81.0)	26.2 (79.2)	26.0 (78.8)	23.2 (73.8)	18.0 (64.4)	13.7 (56.7)	21.6 (70.9)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	0.6 (0.02)	0.1 (0.00)	0.2 (0.01)	1.0 (0.04)	5.3 (0.21)	11.6 (0.46)	36.8 (1.45)	45.9 (1.81)	23.1 (0.91)	3.0 (0.12)	0.2 (0.01)	0.2 (0.01)	128.0 (5.04)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm)	0.2	0.1	0.2	0.2	1.0	3.0	6.1	6.9	3.9	0.6	0.1	0.3	22.6
Mean monthly sunshine hours	274.5	267.3	286.1	283.9	294.0	230.8	269.8	276.9	271.6	296.4	286.6	275.5	3,313.4
Source 1: World Meteorological Organization[13]
Source 2: NOAA (sun 1961–1990)[14]

Notes

1. Resultats Provisoires RGPH 2009 (Région de Kidal) (PDF), République de Mali: Institut National de la Statistique
2. Communes de la Région de Kidal (PDF) (in French), Ministère de l’administration territoriale et des collectivités locales, République du Mali, archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2012.
3. "Mali coup: Rebels seize desert capital Kidal". BBC News. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
4. "Tuareg rebels declare the independence of Azawad, north of Mali". Al Arabiya. 6 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012..
5. Billal Ag Acherif (6 April 2012). "Déclaration D'Indépendance De L'Azawad" [Declaration of Independence of Azawad] (Press release) (in French). Gao: National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
6. Morgan, Andy (23 October 2012). "Mali: no rhythm or reason as militants declare war on music". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
7. "Mali conflict: French 'enter last rebel town of Kidal'". BBC News. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
8. "Mali unrest: Kidal attack kills two UN peacekeepers". BBC News. 14 December 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
9. "Mali: Tuareg rebels 'defeat government army in Kidal'". BBC News. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
10. "Reconstituted Malian army returns to town of Kidal". 13 February 2020.
11. http://www.instat-mali.org/contenu/rgph/rastr09_rgph.pdf
12. http://www.instat-mali.org/contenu/rgph/tdemo09_rgph.pdf
13. "World Weather Information Service – Kidal". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
14. "Kidal Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 12 October 2015.

External links

• Plan de Sécurité Alimentaire Commune Urbaine de Kidal 2007-2011 (PDF) (in French), Commissariat à la Sécurité Alimentaire, République du Mali, USAID-Mali, 2007, archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2012, retrieved 30 March 2012.
• Programme de renforcement des capacités nationales pour une gestion stratégique du développement (PRECAGED): Schéma d'aménagement et de développement de la commune urbaine de Kidal (in French), République du Mali: Ministère de l'économie programme des nations unies et des finances, 2002.