Blackwell Reference Online

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The Tuaregs are a traditionally pastoral, nomadic ethnic group found mainly in parts of west and north Africa. Across the ages, the Tuaregs have proved themselves as respected “masters of war.” Their contemporary decline in proficiency in militarized warfare is, however, traceable to the modernization of military artifacts, to which they do not presently have significant access. Since the sixteenth century, most of the Tuaregs have adopted Sunni Islam and identifiable aspects of the traditional beliefs of their religion(s).Although the Tuaregs put up some potent resistance to the French bid to colonize them in the late nineteenth century, they were overpowered and taken under French rule after much loss of life on both sides. Before the French invasion, Tuareg society was essentially confederal in tradition and in practice. Each of the subgroups was under the control of an Amenokal (traditional ruler) and some selected traditional chiefs. However, the mid-twentieth century independence era in parts of Africa enabled the artificial delineation of traditional Tuareg society into a number of contemporary nation-states: Niger, Algeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Libya.Major Tuareg altercations with neighboring African ethnic groups have commonly resulted from competition over natural resources found in the Sahel. The independence of Mali facilitated the first wave of Tuareg uprisings in ... log in or subscribe to read full text