The historical-political fiction novel "The Impossible State of Azawad" refers to the uprisings of the Arab Spring and the developments that followed them in the Arab World and especially in the Sahel region. On its fictional side, it is the story of a converted Canadian and a group of diplomats from various European countries following the region's political developments.
The Sahel is a sparsely populated zone between the Arab Maghreb and "deep Africa". The word "Sahel" is of Arabic origin and traditionally means the Sahara's boundary or its outskirts. It is the transitional area between the desert and the savannah. Due to some rainfall, rudimentary cultivation is possible in the region. This geopolitically defined area contains many sources of insecurity that have created crises of various natures. They ranged from conflicts due to hunger and poverty, religion and state illegal violence, to the Tuareg movement. It encompasses wide-ranging risks, from the terrorism of AQIM to the smuggling of weapons and drugs and from human trafficking to illegal immigration.
The most severe danger for Europe was the Afghanization - Talibanization of the region with all that this transformation eventually entails.
Tuareg is among the tribes living in the area. This indigenous tribe that inhabits the entire Sahel region has repeatedly revolted, particularly in Mali, calling for self-determination. Yet, despite the current general perception, only a minor part of Tuareg lives a nomad life. Those who seek self-determination name the area they lived in, Azawad.
The Tuareg movement MNLA, National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, went about an armed activity in 2011-2013, just after the Arab Spring. This allowed the terrorist organizations AQIM, Ansar Eddine, and others, such as MUJAO, to gain control of the conflict to create the "Islamic Republic of Azawad". Mali proved powerless to control the situation. This novel recounts the development of the Islamist action and the attempt to deal with this danger by the international community, the African countries of the region, and France until Europe realized the danger that threatened it.
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