Unusual Takouba or Something Else?

[Panhead572]

I worked in Niger in the 1980’s and became interested in Tuareg artifacts, especially their knives and swords. Most of the swords I collected resemble the ones I see posted on this forum, however, this one is a bit of a mystery to me. It was given to me by a very good Tuareg friend who was a minister in the government of Niger at the time. He said he procured it in Tamanrasset.

The hilt looks more like what you would see on a North African dagger and the blade is thinner than that of typical takoubas. The double-edged blade appears very strong, is flexible and razor sharp. There are no markings on the blade and its forging appears more refined than most of the local blades I have seen.

Any comments will be appreciated.