Dawel, Akoli

   Afederalist Tuareg political leader, he became minister of water resources and official spokesman of the Niger government. Named special envoy in Aïr to diffuse the Tuareg revolts in 1992, he was arrested later in the sweeps of suspected Tuareg rebellion supporters by the Nigerien military in Agadez and was released only after protests in the National Assembly. He was also president of the Union pour la Démocratie et Progrès Social (UDPS) party headquartered in Agadez as well as leader of the Parti pour l'Unité Nationale et la Démocratie (PUND).