Dan Na Ambassagou

Dan Na Ambassagou (“hunters who trust in God,” in Dogon language^[1]) is an ethnic Dogon militia in Mali.^[2][3] The militia was setup in 2016^[4] to defend Dogon communities against attacks, which has led to a number of conflicts with members of the Fula community.^[2] They accuse the Fula (or Peuhl) of sympathizing with or sheltering Islamist militants in their villages.^[4] They are run by Youssouf Toloba.^[5]

The group was behind a number of attacks in 2018.^[2] In September 2018, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue negotiated a unilateral ceasefire with Dan Na Ambassagou "in the context of the conflict which opposes the group to other community armed groups in central Mali."^[6]

The group gained widespread attention following the March 2019 attacks against Fulani herders, of which they were accused of being the perpetrators.^[3] The group denied any involvement in the attack.^[3] In response, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta ordered Dan Na Ambassagou to disband.^[3]

References

1. "Mouvement " Dana Ambassagou " ou Chasseurs se confiant à Dieu au Pays Dogon: Vers l'auto-défense des populations et des valeurs sociétales ! - Bamada.net". Retrieved 2019-03-29.
2. "Mali: Militias Kill Over 75 Civilians". Human Rights Watch. 2018-12-18. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
3. "The hunting society accused of a massacre". 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
4. ""We Used to Be Brothers" | Self-Defense Group Abuses in Central Mali". Human Rights Watch. 2018-12-07. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
5. "Militia head refutes his group responsible for Mali massacre". Associated Press. 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
6. "Youssouf Toloba and his Dan Nan Ambassagou armed group sign a commitment towards a ceasefire in central Mali | HD Centre". Retrieved 2019-03-29.