Gourma-Rharous is a rural commune and small town in the Tombouctou Region of Mali. The town is the administrative center (Chef-lieu) of the Gourma-Rharous Cercle and lies on the right bank of the Niger River 110 km east of Timbuktu. The commune has an area of approximately 7,000 km² and contains 29 villages. In the census of 2009 it had a population of 26,115. French singer Daniel Balavoine died in a helicopter crash in Gourma-Rharous as he was leading a fund-raising effort in Africa during the 1986 Dakar Rally.