Tuareg rebellion (2012)

The Tuareg rebellion of 2012 was an armed conflict that began in January 2012 in northern Mali and spread to neighboring countries, particularly Niger. It was led by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), a Tuareg separatist group seeking independence for Azawad, the traditional homeland of the Tuareg people in northern Mali.

The rebellion was fueled by a combination of factors, including longstanding grievances of the Tuareg population against the Malian government, the influx of heavily armed Tuareg fighters returning from Libya after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, and a weak and unstable Malian state. These returning fighters, equipped with weapons and combat experience gained in Libya, significantly bolstered the MNLA's capabilities.

The MNLA, initially allied with Islamist groups such as Ansar Dine, quickly gained control of major cities in northern Mali, including Kidal, Gao, and Timbuktu. On April 6, 2012, the MNLA unilaterally declared the independence of Azawad.

However, the alliance between the MNLA and Islamist groups quickly fractured. Ansar Dine, along with other Islamist factions like the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA), sought to impose a strict interpretation of Sharia law in the region, which clashed with the MNLA's secular nationalist goals. By mid-2012, the Islamist groups had largely pushed the MNLA out of the major cities and established their own control.

The Islamist takeover of northern Mali prompted international intervention. In January 2013, a French-led military operation, Operation Serval, intervened to dislodge the Islamist groups from their strongholds. This intervention, along with support from African forces, succeeded in pushing back the Islamist militants and restoring a degree of government control.

Following the French intervention, negotiations took place between the Malian government and Tuareg groups, leading to the Ouagadougou Accord in 2013. However, the peace process has been fragile, with sporadic outbreaks of violence and ongoing challenges to security and stability in the region. The situation remains complex, involving a multitude of armed groups, political factions, and regional actors.