I read the same article, but of course it is important to be sceptical when confronted with such facts, as it very difficult to check them. Said that I found it very hard to come up with any 'simple' guy in all the articles which had anything positive to say about the islamist forces (Yes, we have a problem with the sample selection). The bit about 11 of the 19 Northern MPs coming from the Tuareg sounds quite stark, with the central government forcing elected candidates form other ethnic groups to take the fall. I just can not believe that they make up only 5% of the population if that census in the 50s was not completely fabricated.
Overall the article fits into the picture painted earlier:
1) The rebel islamist forces are relative small but well-organized, trained and armed for Western African benchmarks.
2) The popular support for them is quite small, even in the North.
3) Most of their ressources, be it money, trained cadre, religious instruction comes from the outside, mostly from (Saudi) Arabia.
Dayuhan already mentioned the impression that the nomadic tribes in question are likely disliked by the majority of the populations in that cluster of countries. Using military force often against fellow countrymen to get money and other benefits, be it for good or bad reasons, doesn't promote much love.
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