Kidal

Kidal is a town and commune in the desert region of northern Mali, 285 kilometres northeast of Gao, and the capital of the Kidal Cercle and the Kidal Region. The commune covers about 9,910 square kilometres and includes the town and 31 other settlements. The area has been inhabited by the Tuareg for centuries, and the modern town grew up around a French military post established in the early twentieth century. The population of the town grew from 11,159 in 1998 to 25,969 in 2009, and it is mainly Tamasheq speaking, with Songhai the second most spoken language. Its climate is classed as hot desert under the Köppen-Geiger system. Kidal has often been contested: it was captured by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad in 2012, retaken by French and Malian forces in 2013, lost by government troops in 2014 and brought back under government control in November 2023 during the Battle of Kidal.