| Tinzaouaten | |
| Settlement Type: | Commune and village |
| Pushpin Map: | Mali |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Mali |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Mali |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kidal Region |
| Subdivision Type2: | Cercle |
| Subdivision Name2: | Abeïbara Cercle |
| Parts Type: | Control |
| Parts Style: | para |
| P1: | CSP-DPA |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 8,750 |
| Population As Of: | 2009 census |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 2,300 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
| Timezone: | WAT |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Coordinates: | 19.9486°N 2.9678°W |
| Elevation M: | 618 |
Tinzaouaten (var. Tinzawatene and Tin-Zaouatene; Arabic: تين ظواتين) is a Saharan rural commune in the far northeast of Mali on the Algerian border. The commune is in the Abeïbara Cercle of the Kidal Region. It included a stop on a trans-Saharan trade route and a military post on the frontier under the French colonial regime. In 2009 the 8,000 square kilometer commune had a population of 2,300, most of whom are nomadic Tuareg.[1] The Algerian settlement of Tinzaouten is on the Algerian side of the border.[3]
See main article: Battle of Tinzaouaten (2024). On July 25, 2024, Tuareg rebels of CSP-DPA ambushed a convoy of FAMA and Russian Wagner mercenaries in Tinzaouaten, beginning a 2-day battle. Over the course of the battle a sandstorm formed, forcing both sides to a temporary pause in fighting until July 26.[4] The battle ended on July 27 resulting in the loss of several FAMA armored vehicles, a FAMA helicopter and the claimed deaths of 10 FAMA soldiers, up to 25-80+ Wagner Group mercenaries and 20 CSP-DPA soldiers.[5]
Tinzaouaten was the headquarters of the Al-Qaeda-associated terrorist group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin.[6]