How Ag Ghali Went from Singer to One of Al-Qaeda’s Most Dangerous Leaders in West Africa?

In a surprising turn of events, former singer Ag Ghali moved from the spotlight of rock music to the shadows of extremist groups, becoming one of Al-Qaeda’s most dangerous leaders in West Africa.

This dramatic transformation was revealed by The Wall Street Journal in a report detailing how Ghali, who began his journey as a musician in a band, ended up leading an extremist army that killed tens of thousands and imposed strict rule over a vast region the size of the U.S. state of Montana.

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The report highlights how this armed Malian leader, after founding the rock band Tinariwen and composing a song the newspaper described as a “hit,” went on to lead a radical army that banned music in a part of West Africa the size of Montana and was responsible for tens of thousands of deaths.

Ghali’s fighters, now 70 years old, ambushed members of Tinariwen, his former band, and kidnapped a guitarist for weeks after catching him trying to retrieve his instruments. The band had won a Grammy Award in 2011.

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Ag Ghali turned West Africa into a major battlefield, where the West and local governments clashed with Islamist extremists. His 6,000 fighters stormed villages and fought French soldiers, U.S. Green Berets, and Russian mercenaries.

The newspaper pointed out that Ghali’s military force has become a growing concern, with fears that Mali, his stronghold, or neighboring Burkina Faso could become the first country in the world to be ruled by Al-Qaeda.

According to the report, Ghali began his journey as a member of the Tuareg people and was supported by former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi to pursue geopolitical agendas in Africa and the Middle East.

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Although he was deeply passionate about rock music from his youth until 2012, he ultimately abandoned it after some of his followers accused him of betrayal and straying from the extremist group’s principles due to his luxurious lifestyle and close ties with the Malian government.

His armed group launched an attack that led to the capture of Timbuktu, Gao, and Kidal, where Ghali banned what he called the “devil’s music,” prohibited women from going out without their husbands or brothers, and established a religious police force that flogged those suspected of heresy.

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After the U.S. designated Ghali as a terrorist in 2013, France deployed combat forces to Mali. With the support of Malian troops and logistical backing from the U.S. and other countries, the Islamists were expelled from Timbuktu. However, for Ghali, this was merely a setback, not a loss.

In 2017, Ghali successfully united several armed groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda into a coalition called Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims).

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