| Country: | Mali |
| Details of Formation: | This group is called an offshoot of Ganda Koy, both groups existed simultaneously. |
| Details of Termination: | Date of termination is coded as the date of the firs elections after the conflict, when the government was again appointed via democratic elections. However, there is simply no information about any activity of the militia after the elections. |
| Purpose: | The militia was founded in 2006 to fight the anti-government Tuareg rebels. It also fought against the Tuareg who claimed independence of Northern Mali in 2012. It was supposed to protect the integrity of the Malian state which is why the government aligned with the group. |
| Organisation: | The group was divided into a civilian and military faction. The military faction was led by Sergeant Amadou Diallo until 2008. There is no further information on who led the group after him. (Wikipedia) |
| Weapons and Training: | No information. |
| Size: | The militia had about 1,300 members. (Wikipedia) |
| Reason for Membership: | The militia was made up of ethnic Songhais who opposed the Tuaregs. They were locally recruited in the Gao region and believed in an anti-Tuareg ideology. (Wikipedia) |
| Treatment of Civilians: | In 2008, the militia killed Tuareg civilians, which led to a split between civilians and the military faction of Ganda Izo. (Wikipedia; Human Rights Watch 2012) |
| Other Information: | This group collaborated with and was supported by the military and since an interim government appointed and controlled by the military was in charge this group is coded as a PGM. Besides the Tuareg these groups also fought against Islamists, which occupied the North together with Tuaregs. During conflict Tuareg rebels started fighting on the side of the government against the Islamists. This did not seem to change the relation between the PGM and the Tuareg, since former refused talks about a more independent North. Gand Koy and Ganda Izo are told to be part of the Forces of Liberation of the North (FLN), however, it is not clear which other groups belong to the FLN and the groups themselves do not claim to be part on the FLN (name made up by media) |
| References: |
Human Rights Watch. 2012. “Mali: Islamist Armed Groups Spread Fear in North”. https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/09/25/mali-islamist-armed-groups-spread-fear-north. Wikipedia. “Ganda Izo”.https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ganda_Iso&oldid=890098767. Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD. |