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Tribus, Etats et Fraude: la région frontalière algéro-malienne

In northern Mali, the relative absence of central state control has led to a situation where one might expect a ‘resurgence’ of tribal solidarities, in particular as local livelihoods largely depend on irregular trans-border trade. Smugglers themselves insist on the importance of tribal and family networks for their activities. On closer inspection, however, cooperation with state officials and other outside sources of capital and power are equally importantly, if not more so. Nonetheless, income derived from illegal trade is mostly invested in the outer signs of ‘tribal excellence’, in a symbolic quest for moral and political autonomy from the state.