Rocker who won Grammy to deadliest al Qaeda leader: Who is Iyad ag Ghali, West Africa’s biggest terrorist wanted by ICC?

The life of Iyad ag Ghali was that of a rockstar who was a part of a rock band, wrote lyrics for blues-rock band in Sahara and drummed on makeshift metal drums and roamed in West Africa’s nighclubs. From being a rock band player who toured the world, he became the most dreaded al Qaeda in the Western Sahara who banned music and replaced metal rock music with guns and weapons.  

Iyad ag Ghali’s early life 

Ghali was a young Tuareg, a Berber ethnic group, boy whose father died in 1963 in a weak rebellion. He was raised in Bamako in Mali, a country in West Africa. Mali which was ruled by France for decades got independence in 1960 after which the group staged a failed rebellion against the new government. Ghali joined them to seek independence from Mali.  

He even received military training soon after and came out as a fighter and a significant leader for the Tuareg cause. While living in the refugee camp, he got influenced with a musician group who called themselves Taghreft Tinariwen — the “Radio of the Desert.” The Tinariwen group infused hope and a new language of rebellion to the Tuaregs, music.  

Ghali supplied them with music equipment and space and became part of the group. The group then went on to win a Grammy, toured the world, played with Led Zeplins' Bono and Robert Plant. However, ag Ghali later separated from them. In 1990, Ghali led Tuareg uprising which ceased after he signed a ceasefire in 1991 and became the face of the rebellion. His purpose then faded. In the same decade, a group of white-robed Pakistani preachers arrived in northern Mali from the Tablighi Jama'at. They influenced the young Iyad ag Ghali with their message of Islamic extremism who changed drastically.  

From a guitarist to a gunmen, Ghali’s journey as a Muslim leader 

Ghali left his guitar, music, his nightclubs outings and took on the look of a staunch Muslim with a beard and Quran in hand. His lifestyle changed completely from the man who frequented nightclubs, Ghali started visiting mosques where he met extremists. He talked about Sharia, opened a new extremist group, nsar Dine — “Defenders of the Faith.” 

In 2012, Ghali organised forces with Tuareg and Islamist fighters who spread across northern Mali and took over major cities. He banned music in these areas and burned the instruments he once delightfully played. He even destroyed ancient Sufi shrines, ordered women to remain indoors. The city descended into a bleak, faith-fueled dystopia.  

In 2017, Ghali’s activities became ever more extremist. He brought together many al-Qaeda-linked groups into Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and declared himself its leader. He marketed JNIM as more “reasonable” than ISIS. However, his activities didn’t blunt as he killed villagers and those who resisted, and kidnapped women. In a grave incident, his men killed 600 people digging trenches for defence. The brutality fell governments. In his 70s, he is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) who has released an arrest warrant on his head.