Internal and External Rebel Alliances in Civil Wars: An analysis of the Tuareg rebels in Mali

This thesis focuses on contrasting and exploring variation between rebel internal alliances with other armed groups and rebel alliances or attempts to form alliances with states in the wider international system. A key aspect of this thesis relates to how the norm of sovereignty affects rebel groups within both alliance systems, as externally aiding rebel groups is often perceived as intervening in a state's domestic affairs, by extension is often marked as a sovereignty violation. The result often being governments having a significant advantage when it comes to gaining international allies. Internally a rebel groups lack of recognised sovereignty leaves them vulnerable to something akin to "state death", where the rebels are under constant threat of total annihilation, due to the lack of external protections and recognitions that sovereignty brings. Creating violent conflicts among armed groups who can attempt to merely maximize their power through military strength or subjugation of rivals. The lack of sovereignty therefore places rebels at a significant disadvantage, as the internal systems of alliances as their nature lead to behavior such as human rights violations, that can further undermine a rebel groups attempts to gain external legitimacy as states become even more reluctant to support groups who are seen as directly violating international norms. An exploration of these alliance systems should help better place rebel groups, who are often seen as merely domestic actors, be better integrated within wider studies of the international system, especially research concerning the study of international norms and role of sovereignty. Analyzing the two systems revolves around using the case study of Tuareg rebel groups that have persisted in Northern Mali since independence to provide an in-depth account over a long period into these two alliance systems, demonstrating how specific actions internally impacted external relations. The exploration of the Tuareg rebels involved documenting the attempts of the Tuareg rebel groups to gain external legitimacy in the eyes of the international community and international allies, and the obstacles they faced from the wider international system. In conjunction with outlining the rebels struggles with maintaining internal cohesion and managing relations within the Sahel, with the rebels facing significant internal challenges from milita’s internal fragmentation and Islamist groups. Throughout this analysis my thesis aims to outline areas where the two alliance systems contradicted themselves and undermined the Tuareg rebels, for example internally allying with Islamist groups, resulted in external intervention and a significant loss in external legitimacy. Overall leading to a process where rebel groups attempts at gaining internal power, combined with rebel groups lack of recognised sovereignty make effectively gaining external legitimacy and recognition from the wider international order a significant challenge that places rebel groups such as the Tuareg rebels at a significant disadvantage.