On a sandy street in the centre of Kidal, northern Mali, armed men take turns standing guard next to two unmarked pick-up trucks as dusk turns to dark and the sky streaks with stars. The men at the checkpoint are not soldiers from the Malian army, rather, they are fighters from the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), a predominantly Tuareg alliance who battled the state for years before signing a peace agreement in 2015. They have since taken charge in the strategic northern town. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES