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Conflict Module · Sahel · Force Atlas

Dan Na Ambassagou

Force Atlas / Pro-government & communal self-defence forces / Dan Na Ambassagou

Formation

Dan Na Ambassagou

Dogon self-defence movement of the Bandiagara plateau — central to the communal dimension of the war, implicated in the Ogossagou massacre.

Government-aligned · self-declaredVolunteer / irregularMilitiaSubordination unknownCommunal self-defence militia

Broad area of activity

Dogon country — Bandiagara, Bankass and Koro cercles of the Mopti region.

Notable history

Formed in 2016 from Dogon hunter societies as Katiba Macina’s insurgency inflamed farmer–herder conflict. UN investigation attributed the March 2019 Ogossagou massacre of Fulani civilians to fighters associated with the movement, which it denies. Officially ordered dissolved in 2019, it never disbanded; its relationship with the state has cycled between tacit cooperation and denunciation.

Strengths

Local rootedness and terrain knowledge.

Limitations

Communal targeting record feeds the insurgency it fights; no stable command relationship with the state.

Related organisations

  • Katiba MacinaOpposed · high confidence

    Long-running fight with JNIM’s Macina networks across the plateau; ceasefires have been announced and broken.

Related locations

Bandiagara · Historically active in · 2024-12
Sensitivity: Delayed · contextualAssessment confidence: lowStatus as of 2026-06Reviewed 2026-07-15Sources: UN Security Council and Panel of Experts reporting · ACLED conflict data & analysis · International Crisis GroupMethodology