Kidal ⴾⴸⵍ | |
|---|---|
Commune and town | |
 A craftsmen's house | |
  Kidal Location in Mali | |
| Coordinates:18°26′20″N1°24′30″E / 18.43889°N 1.40833°E /18.43889; 1.40833 | |
| Country | Mali |
| Region | Kidal Region |
| Cercle (district): | Kidal Cercle |
| Area | |
• Total | 9,913 km2 (3,827 sq mi) |
| Population (2009)[1] | |
• Total | 25,617 |
| • Density | 2.584/km2 (6.693/sq mi) |
Kidal (Tuareg Berber: ⴾⴸⵍ, KDL, Kidal) is a town andcommune in the desert region of northernMali. The town lies 285 km (177 mi) northeast ofGao and is the capital of theKidal Cercle and theKidal Region. The commune has an area of about 9,910 km2 (3,830 sq mi) and includes the town of Kidal and 31 other settlements.[2]
On 30 March 2012, Kidal and its military base were captured by theNational Movement for the Liberation of Azawad as part of theTuareg rebellion for the independence ofAzawad. A spokesman for theMalian military junta said "To preserve the life of the people of Kidal, the military command decided not to prolong the battle".[3] Gao andTimbuktu were captured within the next 48 hours, and on 6 April, theNational Movement for the Liberation of Azawad declared the independence of Azawad fromMali.[4][5] In the course of the conflict the MNLA lost their control to Islamist militias.[6] On 30 January 2013French andMalian forces moved into the town to bring it back under government control.[7]
On 14 December 2013, acar bombing in Kidal killed twoUnited Nations peacekeepers.[8]
On 21 May 2014, MNLA forced government troops in Kidal to retreat after heavy fighting, capturing the military base.[9]
On 13 February 2020Mali government forces were sent to Kidal for the first time in six years.[10] In late 2023, the rulingjunta carried outan offensive along withWagner Group fighters. They managed to bring the city back under government control in theBattle of Kidal in November 2023.[11]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 11,159 | — |
| 2009 | 25,969 | +7.98% |
| sources:[12] | ||
The population of the city of Kidal has grown from 11,159 in 1998 to 25,969 in 2009, raising its percentage in theKidal Region from 26.3% to 38.3%.
| Languages in Kidal City (2009 Census)[13] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Languages | percent | |||
| Tamasheq | 79.13% | |||
| Songhai | 7.18% | |||
| Bambara | 5.51% | |||
| Arabic | 3.78% | |||
| Other | 4.4% | |||
Kidal city is mainlyTamasheq speaking with 79.13% of the city speaking it in 2009. The second most spoken language in Kidal city isSonghai with 7.18% of the city speaking it. Other minority languages includeBambara spoken by 5.51% of the city,Arabic spoken by 3.78% of the city, and other minority languages spoken by 4.4%.
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies it climate ashot desert (BWh), with extremely hot weather most of the year.
| Climate data for Kidal (1950–2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.0 (82.4) | 31.1 (88.0) | 34.8 (94.6) | 38.8 (101.8) | 41.5 (106.7) | 41.9 (107.4) | 39.9 (103.8) | 38.4 (101.1) | 39.1 (102.4) | 38.0 (100.4) | 33.4 (92.1) | 28.9 (84.0) | 36.2 (97.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.5 (54.5) | 14.8 (58.6) | 18.7 (65.7) | 23.0 (73.4) | 27.0 (80.6) | 28.6 (83.5) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.2 (79.2) | 26.0 (78.8) | 23.2 (73.8) | 18.0 (64.4) | 13.7 (56.7) | 21.6 (70.9) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.6 (0.02) | 0.1 (0.00) | 0.2 (0.01) | 1.0 (0.04) | 5.3 (0.21) | 11.6 (0.46) | 36.8 (1.45) | 45.9 (1.81) | 23.1 (0.91) | 3.0 (0.12) | 0.2 (0.01) | 0.2 (0.01) | 128.0 (5.04) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 6.1 | 6.9 | 3.9 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 22.6 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 274.5 | 267.3 | 286.1 | 283.9 | 294.0 | 230.8 | 269.8 | 276.9 | 271.6 | 296.4 | 286.6 | 275.5 | 3,313.4 |
| Source 1:World Meteorological Organization[14] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (sun 1961–1990)[15] | |||||||||||||
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