Tessalit
{{Infobox settlement
|name = Tessalit
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|settlement_type =Commune and village
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|pushpin_map =Mali
|pushpin_label_position =bottom
|pushpin_mapsize =300
|pushpin_map_caption =Location in Mali
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = {{flag|Mali}}
|subdivision_type1 = Region
|subdivision_name1 = Kidal Region
|subdivision_type2 =Cercle
|subdivision_name2 = Tessalit Cercle
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|area_total_km2 =30000
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|population_as_of =2009
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|population_total =5739
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|population_blank1_title =Ethnicities
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|timezone =GMT
|utc_offset = +0
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|coordinates = {{coord|20|12|04|N|1|0|45|E|region:ML|display=inline,title}}
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Tessalit is a rural commune and village in the Kidal Region of Mali. The village is the administrative centre of Tessalit Cercle (district). The village lies {{convert|85|km}} north of Adjelhoc and about {{convert|70|km}} from the Algerian border. The commune extends over an area of {{convert|30,000|km2}} that is almost entirely desert. In the 2009 census the commune had a population of 5,739.
It is served by Tessalit Airport.
Tessalit is an oasis in the Sahara desert and a stop for trans-Saharan travellers. A gypsum deposit and a plaster factory also contribute to the local economy, though these activities have been disrupted in recent decades by the Tuareg Rebellions and terrorism in neighboring Algeria.
The Malian government have a military base at the village of Tessalit.{{cite web |title=Tessalit |url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/?#map=13/20.2139/1.0013 |website=OpenStreetMap |accessdate=17 June 2018}}{{cite web |title=Tessalit |url=https://wego.here.com/?map=20.21366,1.01206,14,satellite |website=HERE Maps |publisher=HERE |accessdate=17 June 2018}}
Tessalit is situated in the mountain range of Adrar des Ifoghas. It is primarily populated by Tuaregs and is the home of the musical group Tinariwen as well as the poet Souéloum Diagho. The village is twinned with Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, France.{{cn|date=October 2023}}
The cercle of Tessalit contains the communes of Tessalit, Adjelhoc, and Timtaghene.
Battle of Tessalit
{{main|Battle of Tessalit}}
Tuareg rebels defeated Malian government forces to take the village in 2012. Attempts by the Malian Air Force, using Ukrainian mercenaries, were unable to prevent the defeat.
French paratroopers took the local airport and then were joined by French and African Forces landing at the airport. They recaptured Tessalit on Feb. 8, 2013, according to General Staff spokesman Colonel Thierry Burkhard.{{citation|title=French forces control strategic Mali town Tessalit|date=Feb 8, 2013|publisher=Expatica French News |url=http://www.expatica.com/fr/news/french-news/french-forces-control-strategic-mali-town-tessalit_258099.html}}
=2020=
French forces killed the head of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Abdelmalek Droukdel on June 5, 2020, near Tessalit. While France is concentrating its anti-terrorist efforts on the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS), a spokesperson indicated that does not preclude other activities. Droukdel was buried at the scene.{{cite web |title='Capture not possible': France's desert operation against Al-Qaeda chief |url=https://news.yahoo.com/capture-not-possible-frances-desert-operation-against-al-162922291.html |website=news.yahoo.com |accessdate=June 13, 2020}}
Climate
{{Weather box
|location = Tessalit, Mali (1961-1990 normals, extremes 1948-1994)
|metric first = y
|single line = y
|Jan high C = 26.8
|Feb high C = 29.9
|Mar high C = 33.3
|Apr high C = 37.0
|May high C = 40.7
|Jun high C = 42.7
|Jul high C = 41.6
|Aug high C = 40.6
|Sep high C = 40.3
|Oct high C = 37.3
|Nov high C = 31.9
|Dec high C = 27.1
|year high C =
|Jan mean C = 19.7
|Feb mean C = 22.5
|Mar mean C = 25.7
|Apr mean C = 29.4
|May mean C = 33.3
|Jun mean C = 35.8
|Jul mean C = 34.9
|Aug mean C = 33.9
|Sep mean C = 33.5
|Oct mean C = 30.5
|Nov mean C = 25.1
|Dec mean C = 20.3
|year mean C =
|Jan low C = 12.6
|Feb low C = 15.0
|Mar low C = 18.0
|Apr low C = 21.8
|May low C = 25.8
|Jun low C = 28.9
|Jul low C = 28.1
|Aug low C = 27.1
|Sep low C = 26.7
|Oct low C = 23.6
|Nov low C = 18.2
|Dec low C = 13.5
|year low C =
|Jan record high C = 36.0
|Feb record high C = 39.0
|Mar record high C = 42.5
|Apr record high C = 44.0
|May record high C = 46.4
|Jun record high C = 46.3
|Jul record high C = 49.0
|Aug record high C = 45.0
|Sep record high C = 44.5
|Oct record high C = 43.4
|Nov record high C = 39.0
|Dec record high C = 35.6
|Jan record low C = 3.3
|Feb record low C = 4.4
|Mar record low C = 7.0
|Apr record low C = 8.7
|May record low C = 12.1
|Jun record low C = 18.4
|Jul record low C = 16.0
|Aug record low C = 14.0
|Sep record low C = 12.9
|Oct record low C = 9.0
|Nov record low C = 6.3
|Dec record low C = 3.3
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 0.4
|Feb precipitation mm = 0.1
|Mar precipitation mm = 0.7
|Apr precipitation mm = 0.5
|May precipitation mm = 4.6
|Jun precipitation mm = 6.1
|Jul precipitation mm = 16.6
|Aug precipitation mm = 26.1
|Sep precipitation mm = 11.6
|Oct precipitation mm = 1.1
|Nov precipitation mm = 0.3
|Dec precipitation mm = 0.4
|year precipitation mm =
|unit rain days =
|Jan rain days = 0.2
|Feb rain days = 0.1
|Mar rain days = 0.2
|Apr rain days = 0.2
|May rain days = 0.7
|Jun rain days = 1.2
|Jul rain days = 3.3
|Aug rain days = 5.1
|Sep rain days = 2.5
|Oct rain days = 0.4
|Nov rain days = 0.2
|Dec rain days = 0.2
|year rain days =
|Jan humidity = 23
|Feb humidity = 19
|Mar humidity = 17
|Apr humidity = 14
|May humidity = 15
|Jun humidity = 18
|Jul humidity = 26
|Aug humidity = 33
|Sep humidity = 24
|Oct humidity = 19
|Nov humidity = 22
|Dec humidity = 21
|year humidity =
|Jan sun = 253.4
|Feb sun = 248.6
|Mar sun = 259.3
|Apr sun = 255.1
|May sun = 271.3
|Jun sun = 166.2
|Jul sun = 139.5
|Aug sun = 154.0
|Sep sun = 148.6
|Oct sun = 264.7
|Nov sun = 262.3
|Dec sun = 238.8
|Jan percentsun = 75
|Feb percentsun = 78
|Mar percentsun = 70
|Apr percentsun = 68
|May percentsun = 68
|Jun percentsun = 42
|Jul percentsun = 34
|Aug percentsun = 39
|Sep percentsun = 41
|Oct percentsun = 74
|Nov percentsun = 79
|Dec percentsun = 71
|year percentsun = 61
|source 1 = NOAA{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/TABLES/REG__I/M1/61202.TXT
| title = Tessalit Climate Normals 1961-1990
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| accessdate = January 17, 2023
}}
|source 2 = DWD (extremes, humidity 1973-1994){{cite web
| url = https://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_612020_kt.pdf
| title = Klimatafel von Tessalit / Mali
| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst
| accessdate = January 17, 2023
}}
}}
Notable People
- Mohamed Ag Erlaf (born 1956) - politician