Mano Dayak was a Tuareg freedom fighter, leader, and negotiator. He led the Tuareg Rebellion in Ténéré

Ténéré

The Ténéré is a desert region in the south central Sahara. It comprises a vast plain of sand stretching from northeastern Niger into western Chad, occupying an area of over...

 region, northern Niger

Niger

Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...

 during the 1990s. He was born in Tiden valley in the Aïr mountains (not far from Agadez

Agadez

-Sources:* Aboubacar Adamou. "Agadez et sa région. Contribution à l'étude du Sahel et du Sahara nigériens", Études nigériennes, n°44, , 358 p.* Julien Brachet. Migrations transsahariennes. Vers un désert cosmopolite et morcelé . Paris: Le Croquant, , 324 p. ISBN : 978-2-91496865-2.*. Saudi Aaramco...

) in 1949. He died in a plane crash in 1995, causing some speculation that it had not been accidental.

Accomplishments

Besides leading the Tuareg rebellion (which he led from his base in the Adrar de Bouss) , Mano Dayak made name as the writer of several important books on Tuareg culture and politics. He also served as the guide of Thierry Sabine

Thierry Sabine

Thierry Sabine was a French wrangler, motorcycle racer, and founder and main organizer of Paris Dakar....

 during the Paris–Dakar rally.

Earlier in his life he went to Indiana University

Indiana University Bloomington

Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...

in Bloomington, Indiana.

External links

• Mano Dayak, 1949–1995 Obituary, The Amazigh Voice