Hassan Ag Fagaga was president of the interim authorities in Kidal until the Malian army recaptured the rebel stronghold in November Ag Fagaga was a former Malian army officer who deserted in the 2000s to join the Tuareg rebellion DAKAR: The Tuareg-dominated separatist rebellion in northern Mali on Friday announced the death of one of its leading figures, as the Malian army continues its offensive to regain territory. Hassan Ag Fagaga, president of the interim authorities in Kidal until the Malian army recaptured this rebel stronghold in November, was killed in a drone strike near Tin-Zaouatene, a town on the Algeria border, the separatists said. The Malian army confirmed in a press release that it had carried out strikes there “on terrorist positions” on the Algerian border. Ag Fagaga was a former Malian army officer who deserted in the 2000s to join the Tuareg rebellion. There, he initially fought alongside Iyad Ag Ghali, who later became the leader of the Al-Qaeda-linked coalition Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM). Ag Fagaga joined the ranks of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), a predominantly Tuareg armed group. It took control of almost all of northern Mali in 2012 before being ousted by jihadist groups. He had been appointed to head the interim authorities in Kidal under the peace agreement signed in 2015 between Mali’s then civilian government and separatist groups in Algiers. Hostilities resumed in August after an eight-year lull, as UN peacekeepers pulled out under pressure from Mali’s military rulers. The separatist Tuareg forces on Wednesday announced they had set up a blockade of the major roads in northern Mali, where the army has made gains in recent weeks. The rebel forces have in recent weeks lost ground to the army offensive that in mid-November saw them recapture the key northeast city of Kidal. Mali has been ruled by the military since August 2020, when the first of two coups occurred.