{{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Mali War , partof = the Islamist insurgency in the Sahel and the

War on terror The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...

, image = MaliWar.svg , image_size = 380 , caption = Military situation in Mali (2022). For a detailed map, see

here Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Television * Here TV (formerly "here!"), a ...

. , date = 16 January 2012 – present
({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=01, day1=16, year1=2012) , place = Northern

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...

, result = Ongoing * The Tuareg rebellion began driving government forces out of Northern Mali in January 2012 * Malian president

Amadou Toumani Touré Amadou Toumani Touré (4 November 19489 November 2020) was a Malian politician. He supervised Mali's first multiparty elections as chairman of the transitional government (1991–1992), and later became the second democratically-elected Presid ...

is ousted in a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

led by Amadou Sanogo{{cite news, title=Mali rebels claim to have ousted regime in coup, url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/22/mali-rebels-coup, work=The Guardian, date=22 March 2012, location=London, first=Afua, last= Hirsch * Northern Mali completely captured by rebels by April 2012, " Independent State of Azawad" declared by the MNLA and briefly supported by Ansar Dine{{cite news , url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18224004 , title=Mali Tuareg and Islamist rebels "agree on Sharia state" , date=26 May 2012 , work=BBC News , access-date=27 May 2012 , url-status=dead , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121223052717/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18224004 , archive-date=23 December 2012 * Islamist groups ( Ansar Dine,

AQIM Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb ( ar-at, تنظيم القاعدة في بلاد المغرب الإسلامي, Tanẓīm al-Qā'idah fī Bilād al-Maghrib al-Islāmī), or AQIM, is an Islamist militant organization (of al-Qaeda) that aims to o ...

and

MOJWA The Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (abbreviated MOJWA) or the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (abbreviated MUJWA; ar, جماعة التوحيد والجهاد في غرب أفريقيا ''Jamāʿat at-tawḥīd wal-jih ...

) seize Northern Mali from MNLA and impose

sharia law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

in the region * France and some African states intervene and help the Malian Army to re-take most of Northern Mali * Peace deal between the government and Tuareg rebels signed on 18 June 2013{{cite news, title=Mali and Tuareg rebels sign peace deal , url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22961519 , publisher=BBC , date=19 June 2013 , url-status=dead , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150321062328/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22961519 , archive-date=21 March 2015 * Peace deal ended after Malian soldiers opened fire on unarmed protesters{{cite news, url= http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/11/mali-tuareg-fighters-end-ceasefire-2013113093234673103.html , title=Mali's Tuareg fighters end ceasefire, agency=Al-Jazeera, date=30 November 2013, access-date=28 December 2013{{cite news, url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25161049 , title=Tuareg separatist group in Mali 'ends ceasefire' , agency=BBC , date=29 November 2013 , access-date=28 December 2013 , work=BBC News , url-status=dead , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131202065114/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25161049 , archive-date=2 December 2013 * Ceasefire signed on 20 February 2015 between Malian government and the Coordination of Azawad Movements * Mali's leaders have rejected autonomy, but are willing to consider devolved local powers *Withdrawal of French Barkhane forces in 2022 * Low-level fighting continues , combatant1 = {{flagicon, Mali Government of Mali * Military of Mali {{flag, France (2013–2022)
{{flag, Germany (2017–present){{cite web, url=http://www.dw.com/en/bundeswehr-in-mali-dangerous-but-necessary/a-37321264, title=Bundeswehr in Mali: dangerous, but necessary? 29.01.2017 , website=DW , access-date=26 July 2017 {{Collapsible list , bullets = yes , title = ''Supported by:''
ECOWAS
Full List: , {{flag, Benin , {{flag, Burkina Faso , {{flag, Cape Verde , {{flag, Gambia{{cite web, url= http://en.apa.az/news_int_l_support_mission_for_mali_to_begin__186169.html, title= Int'l Support Mission for Mali to begin operations on Friday , publisher=APA, date=18 January 2013, access-date=28 January 2013, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215546/http://en.apa.az/news_int_l_support_mission_for_mali_to_begin__186169.html , archive-date=4 October 2013, url-status=dead, df=dmy-all , {{flag, Ghana{{cite web, title= Ghana agrees to send troops to Mali , url=http://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2013/01/14/ghana-agrees-to-send-troops-to-mali/, work =Ghana Business News, access-date=18 January 2013, date=14 January 2013 , {{flag, Guinea{{cite news, title=Mali conflict: West African troops to arrive 'in days', url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21029916, publisher= BBC , access-date=15 January 2013, date=15 January 2013 , {{flag, Guinea-Bissau , {{flag, Ivory Coast , {{flag, Liberia , {{flag, Niger , {{flag, Nigeria , {{flag, Sierra Leone{{cite news, title= Aid Pledged to Mali as More Troops Deploy, url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323783704578248002130070528, access-date=18 January 2013 , newspaper=Wall Street Journal, date= 17 January 2013 , {{flag, Senegal{{cite news, url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mali-rebels-partners-idUSBRE90A0UX20130111 , title=Mali says Nigeria, Senegal, France providing help , work=Reuters , access-date=13 January 2013 , first=Bate , last=Felix , date=11 January 2013 , {{flag, Togo{{cite news , work = France 24 , url= http://www.france24.com/fr/20130114-mali-djihadistes-semparent-dune-ville-a-400-km-bamako-le-drian , title=Les djihadistes s'emparent d'une ville à 400 km de Bamako , access-date=14 January 2013 , language=fr ---- {{flagicon image, Flag of the United Nations.svg MINUSMA *{{flag, Chad{{cite news, title=Chad to send 2000 soldiers to Mali, url= http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/chad-to-send-2000-soldiers-to-mali/story-e6freoo6-1226555842447, access-date=18 January 2013, newspaper=Courier Mail, date=17 January 2013 *{{flag, Burundi{{cite news, title=AU to hold donor conference on Mali intervention , url= http://www.africareview.com/News/AU-to-hold-donor-conference-on-Mali-intervention/-/979180/1668702/-/u8hj4h/-/ , access-date=18 January 2013, newspaper=Africa Review , date= 18 January 2013 *{{flag, Gabon *{{flag, South Africa{{cite news, url= http://www.nzweek.com/world/five-more-african-countries-pledge-to-send-troops-into-mali-nigerian-minister-45103/ , title=Five more African countries pledge to send troops into Mali: Nigerian minister , publisher=NZweek , access-date=28 January 2013 *{{flag, Rwanda *{{flag, Tanzania *{{flag, Uganda *{{flag, China{{cite web, url=http://www.armyrecognition.com/december_2013_defense_industry_military_news_uk/chinese_army_soldiers_conduct_first_mission_as_peacekeepers_in_mali_1612131.html , title=Chinese army soldiers conduct first mission as peacekeepers in Mali 1612131 - Army Recognition , publisher=Armyrecognition.com , access-date=2014-02-11 *{{flag, Sweden *{{flag, Estonia{{cite web, url=https://news.err.ee/691357/estonian-government-approves-sending-50-troops-to-french-led-mali-mission, title=Estonian government approves sending 50 troops to French-led Mali mission, website=err.ee, date=22 March 2018 *{{flag, Egypt{{Cite web, url=https://diplomatictimes.net/2020/06/14/two-egyptian-un-peacekeepers-killed-in-attack-on-convoy-in-mali-west-africa/, title=Two Egyptian UN Peacekeepers Killed In Attack on Convoy in Mali West Africa, date=15 June 2020 *{{flag, United Kingdom *{{flag, Portugal ---- ''Supported by:''
{{Collapsible list , bullets = yes , title = Full list , {{flag, Algeria , {{flag, Angola , {{flag, Australia , {{flag, Bangladesh , {{flag, Belgium , {{flag, Bulgaria , {{flag, Cambodia , {{flag, Canada{{cite news, url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/01/14/pol-mali-canada-logistical-support.html , title=Canada sending C-17 transport plane to help allies in Mali , publisher=cbcnews.ca, date=14 January 2013 , access-date=14 January 2013{{cite news, url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/01/28/canadian-special-forces-on-the-ground-in-mali/ , title=Canadian special forces on the ground in Mali , work=National Post, date=28 January 2013 , access-date=28 January 2013 , {{flag, Comoros , {{flag, Czech Republic , {{flag, Denmark , {{flag, European Union{{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21998398 , title=Mali Crisis: EU troops begin training mission , work=BBC News , date=2 April 2013 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402191030/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21998398 , archive-date=2 April 2013 , {{flag, Germany{{cite news, title=Germany pledges two transport planes for Mali , url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gLCZvOIyoF3XB-cZRV3sf3Nw_LYA?docId=CNG.686473089b00d35ee260e32043cd391d.1b1 , access-date=18 January 2013 , agency=Agence France-Presse , date=16 January 2013 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201200947/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gLCZvOIyoF3XB-cZRV3sf3Nw_LYA?docId=CNG.686473089b00d35ee260e32043cd391d.1b1 , archive-date=1 February 2013 , {{flag, Hungary , {{flag, India{{cite news, title=India pledges $100m for Mali reconstruction, url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-02-05/india/36763465_1_mali-intervention-mali-crisis-tuaregs, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004232557/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-02-05/india/36763465_1_mali-intervention-mali-crisis-tuaregs, url-status=dead, archive-date=4 October 2013, access-date=6 February 2013, newspaper=

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest s ...

, date=5 February 2013{{cite news, title=India's reaction to Mali conflict differs from Syrian, Libyan crises, url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-02-04/india/36741687_1_mali-army-mali-conflict-mali-crisis, archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411040521/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-02-04/india/36741687_1_mali-army-mali-conflict-mali-crisis, url-status=dead, archive-date=11 April 2013, access-date=6 February 2013, newspaper=

, date=4 February 2013{{cite web, title=India pledges $1 million to UN-backed mission to Mali, date=31 January 2013, url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/D6lcrpxXzETzxyUuFJYmlN/India-pledges-1-million-to-UNbacked-mission-to-Mali.html, publisher=Live Mint, access-date=6 February 2013{{cite news, title=India pledges USD one million to UN-backed mission to Mali, url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-01-31/news/36658925_1_usd-afisma-malian-army, access-date=6 February 2013, newspaper=The Economic Times, date=31 January 2013{{cite news, title=India supports efforts at restoring order in Mali, url=http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2013/02/05/424--India-supports-efforts-at-restoring-order-in-Mali-.html, access-date=6 February 2013, newspaper=Newstrack India, date=5 February 2013 , {{flag, Ireland , {{flag, Italy{{cite news, title=Mali: Italy to offer France logistical support, url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mali/9806111/Mali-Italy-to-offer-France-logistical-support.html, access-date=18 January 2013, newspaper=The Telegraph, date=16 January 2013, location=London, first=Nick, last=Squires , {{flag, Japan , {{flag, Mauritania , {{flag, Morocco , {{flag, Namibia , {{flag, Nepal , {{flag, Netherlands , {{flag, Norway , {{flag, Poland , {{flag, Portugal , {{flag, Romania{{cite web, url=http://ro.stiri.yahoo.com/militari-rom%C3%A2ni-trimi%C8%99i-%C3%AEn-misiunea-din-mali-063002488.html , title=Militari români, trimiși în misiunea din Mali , publisher= Yahoo! România , date=6 February 2013 , language=ro , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130211014700/http://ro.stiri.yahoo.com/militari-rom%C3%A2ni-trimi%C8%99i-%C3%AEn-misiunea-din-mali-063002488.html , archive-date=11 February 2013 , {{flag, Spain , {{flag, Turkey , {{flag, Ukraine , {{flag, United Arab Emirates{{cite web, url=http://www.rappler.com/world/20238-mali-aid-offers-pour-in-army-chief-sets-sights-on-timbuktu, title=Mali aid offers pour in; Army chief sets sights on Timbuktu, date=23 January 2013, publisher=Rappler.com, access-date=28 January 2013 , {{flag, United Kingdom , {{flag, United States , {{flag, Vietnam ---- ''Non-state combatants:''
{{flagicon image, Bandera Provincia Carchi.svg Ganda Iso
{{flagicon image, Flag of the Arab Movement of Azawad.svg FLNA{{cite web, author=Par Europe1.fr avec AFP, url=http://www.europe1.fr/International/Mali-nouveau-groupe-arme-cree-dans-le-Nord-1027345/, title=Mali: nouveau groupe armé créé dans le Nord, publisher=Europe1.fr, access-date=9 April 2012
{{flagicon image, Flag of the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad.svg MSA (from 2016)
{{flagicon image, GATIA flag.svg GATIA (from 2014)
{{flagicon image} Wagner Group (from 2021) {{Efn, The participation of the Wagner Group, a

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

n private military company, has been denied by both Russia and Mali, which insist Russia is only sending military advisors. , combatant2 = * {{flagicon image, MNLA flag.svg National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
(MNLA) * Islamic Movement of Azawad
(MIA){{cite news, url=http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/01/30/actualidad/1359531971_708206.html, title=El Ejército francés se detiene ante Kidal, el feudo de la minoría tuareg de Malí, author=Ediciones El País, work=EL PAÍS, date=30 January 2013, access-date=17 December 2014 , combatant3 = {{flagicon image, Flag of Jihad.svg

Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

* Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (2017–present) * Al-Mourabitoun (2013–17) * Ansar al-Sharia (2012–present) *{{flagicon image, Drapeau Ansar Dine.svg Ansar Dine (2012–17) * {{flagicon image, AQMI_Flag.svg

(2012–17) *

Macina Liberation Front The Macina Liberation Front (MLF, , also known as the Macina Liberation Movement or Katibat Macina) is a militant Islamist group that operates in Mali. It is an affiliate of Ansar Dine. Origins and membership In March 2012, the President of M ...

(2015–17){{cite news, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mali-violence-idUSKCN0QO19320150819#2K2trL5OYpi7dI0s.97, title=Mali's Islamist conflict spreads as new militant group emerges, work=Reuters, date=19 August 2015, access-date=17 November 2015 *

(2011–13){{cite news, title=Tuareg-jihadists alliance: Qaeda conquers more than half of Mali, url=http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=51578, publisher=middle-east-online.com, date=4 April 2012, access-date=6 April 2012, archive-date=9 November 2013, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109183026/http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=51578, url-status=dead{{cite news, title=Islamist group claims responsibility for Mali attack that killed 5, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mali-attacks-group-idUSKBN0M30SN20150307, publisher=reuters.com, date=7 March 2015, access-date=7 March 2015 {{flagicon image, Flag of Jihad.svg Nigerian jihadist volunteers (2012-13) *

Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as ''Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād'' ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit=Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad), is an Islamic terrorist organization ...

(2012–13){{sfnp, Comolli, 2015, pp=28, 103, 171 * Ansaru (2012–13){{sfnp, Comolli, 2015, pp=28, 103, 171 ---- {{flag, Islamic State * Islamic State in the Greater Sahara , commander1 = {{flagicon, Mali Assimi Goïta (since May 2021)
{{flagicon, Mali

Bah Ndaw Bah Ndaw (also spelled N'Daw, N'Dah, and N'Daou; born 23 August 1950) is a Malian military officer and politician who served as the president of Mali between 25 September 2020 and 24 May 2021 when he was overthrown during the 2021 Malian coup d ...

(September 2020 – May 2021)
{{flagicon, Mali Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (September 2013 – August 2020)
{{flagicon, Mali

Dioncounda Traoré Dioncounda Traoré (born 23 February 1942) is a Malian politician who was President of Mali in an interim capacity from April 2012 to September 2013. Previously he was President of the National Assembly of Mali from 2007 to 2012, and he served ...

(April 2012 – September 2013)
{{flagicon, Mali Amadou Sanogo (March –April 2012)
{{flagicon, Mali

(until March 2012)
{{flagicon, Mali Sadio Gassama (until March)
{{flagicon, Mali El Haji Ag Gamou (until March)
{{flagicon, France

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...

{{flagicon, France

François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of the Socialist P ...

{{flagicon, France

Pierre de Villiers Pierre François Marie Le Jolis de Villiers de Saintignon (born 26 July 1956) ''dit'' Pierre de Villiers is an Army General of the French Army and a former Chief of the Defence Staff. Following a disagreement with President Emmanuel Macron, who is ...

{{flagicon, France

Édouard Guillaud Amiral Édouard Guillaud (born 10 July 1953)

{{flagicon, France Colonel Thierry Burkhard
{{flagicon, France

Brigade General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...

Gregory de Saint-Quentin
{{flagicon, Germany Angela Merkel
{{flagicon, Germany

Olaf Scholz Olaf Scholz (; born ) is a German politician who has served as the chancellor of Germany since 8 December 2021. A member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), he previously served as Vice Chancellor under Angela Merkel and as Federal Minister ...

{{flagicon, Germany Thomas de Maizière
{{flagicon, Germany

Ursula von der Leyen Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (; Albrecht, born 8 October 1958) is a German politician who has been serving as the president of the European Commission since 2019. She served in the German federal government between 2005 and 2019, holding suc ...

{{flagicon, Germany Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer
{{flagicon, Germany

Christine Lambrecht Christine Lambrecht (born 19 June 1965) is a German lawyer and politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been serving as the Federal Minister of Defence in the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz since December 2021. In the go ...

{{flagicon, Nigeria Shehu Usman Abdulkadir
{{flagicon, Niger Yaye Garba
{{flagicon, Chad Mahamat Déby Itno
{{flagicon, Chad Abdel Aziz Hassane Adam{{KIA
{{flagicon, Chad Omar Bikomb {{Collapsible list , bullets = yes , title =Full list , {{flagicon, Senegal

Macky Sall Macky Sall (, wo, Maki Sàll, fuc, 𞤃𞤢𞤳𞤭 𞤅𞤢𞤤‎, italic=no, Maki Sal; born 11 December 1961) is a Senegalese politician who has been President of Senegal since April 2012. He was re-elected President in the first round vot ...

, {{flagicon, Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari , {{flagicon, Ivory Coast

Alassane Ouattara Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF)Mahamadou Issoufou Mahamadou Issoufou (born 1 January 1952) is a Nigerien politician who served as the President of Niger from 7 April 2011 to 2 April 2021. Issoufou was the prime minister of Niger from 1993 to 1994, president of the National Assembly from 1995 t ...

, {{flagicon, Liberia George Weah , {{flagicon, Cape Verde

Jorge Carlos Fonseca Jorge Carlos de Almeida Fonseca (; born 20 October 1950)
is a

, {{flagicon, Guinea Alpha Condé , {{flagicon, Burkina Faso

Roch Marc Christian Kaboré Roch Marc Christian Kaboré (; born 25 April 1957) is a Burkinabé banker and politician who served as the President of Burkina Faso from 2015 until he was deposed in 2022. He was the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso between 1994 and 1996 and Pr ...

, {{flagicon, Togo Faure Gnassingbé , {{flagicon, Gambia

Adama Barrow Adama Barrow ( ff, 𞤀𞥄𞤣𞤢𞤥𞤢 𞤄𞤢𞥄𞤪𞤮, Aadama Baaro, born 15 February 1965) is a Gambian politician and real estate developer who has served as President of the Gambia since 2017. Born in Mankamang Kunda, a village ...

, {{flagicon, Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio , {{flagicon, Benin

Patrice Talon Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon (born 1 May 1958) is a Beninese politician and businessman who has been President of Benin since 6 April 2016. Early life and career Talon is of Fon origin and was born in Ouidah. He descends from slave trader ...

, {{flagicon, Ghana

Nana Akufo-Addo Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ( ; born 29 March 1944) is a Ghanaian politician who has served as the president of Ghana since 7 January 2017. In 2020, he was re-elected for his second term, which will end on 6 January 2025. Akufo-Addo previously ...

, {{flagicon, Guinea-Bissau

Umaro Sissoco Embaló Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embaló (born 23 September 1972) is a Bissau-Guinean politician serving as the president of Guinea-Bissau since 27 February 2020. He is a political scientist and military officer who previously served as prime minister b ...

, {{flagicon, Burundi Évariste Ndayishimiye , {{flagicon, Chad Mahamat Déby Itno , {{flagicon, Gabon

Ali Bongo Ondimba Ali Bongo Ondimba (born Alain Bernard Bongo; 9 February 1959),"Bongo Ali", ''Gabon: Les hommes de pouvoir'', number 4Africa Intelligence 5 March 2002 . sometimes known as Ali Bongo, is a Gabonese politician who has been the third president of ...

, {{flagicon, South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa , {{flagicon, Rwanda

Paul Kagame Paul Kagame (; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who is the 4th and current president of Rwanda since 2000. He previously served as a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a Uganda-based rebel ...

, {{flagicon, Tanzania Samia Suluhu , {{flagicon, Uganda

Yoweri Museveni Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and retired senior military officer who has been the 9th and current President of Uganda since 26 January 1986. Museveni spearheaded rebellions with aid of then ...

, {{flagicon, China

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, ...

, {{flagicon, Egypt

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi; (born 19 November 1954) is an Egyptian politician and retired military officer who has served as the sixth and current president of Egypt since 2014. Before retiring as a general in the Egyptian mi ...

, {{flagicon, Sweden

Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973. He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, D ...

, {{flagicon, Estonia

Alar Karis Alar Karis (; born 26 March 1958) is an Estonian molecular geneticist, developmental biologist, civil servant and politician who, since 11 October 2021, has served as the sixth President of Estonia. Prior to presidency Karis was born in Tart ...

, {{flagicon, United Kingdom

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as ...

---- {{flagicon image, Flag of the Arab Movement of Azawad.svg Mohamed Lamine Ould Sidatt (NLFA)
{{flagicon image, Flag of the Arab Movement of Azawad.svg Housseine Khoulam (NLFA)
{{flagicon image}{{flagicon, Russia Yevgeny Prigozhin , commander2 = {{flagicon, Azawad Bilal Ag Acherif
{{flagicon, Azawad Mahmoud Ag Aghaly
{{flagicon, Azawad Moussa Ag Acharatoumane
{{flagicon, Azawad Mohamed Ag Najem
Algabass Ag Intalla (MIA) , commander3 = {{flagicon image, AQMI_Flag.svg Iyad Ag Ghaly
{{flagicon image, AQMI_Flag.svg Mokhtar Belmokhtar
{{flagicon image, AQMI_Flag.svg Abdelhamid Abou Zeid{{KIA{{cite news, title=France confirms death of Islamist commander Abou Zeid, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-21912281, publisher=bbc.com, date=23 March 2013, access-date=23 March 2013{{cite news, title=L'Elysée et l'armée française ne confirment pas la mort d'Abou Zeid, url=http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2013/02/28/un-chef-d-aqmi-a-ete-tue-par-l-armee-francaise-au-mali_1840892_3212.html, publisher=lemonde.fr, date=28 February 2013, access-date=1 March 2013
{{flagicon image, AQMI_Flag.svg Abdelmalek Droukdel{{KIA
{{flagicon image, AQMI_Flag.svg Ahmed al-Tilemsi{{KIA
{{flagicon image, AQMI_Flag.svg Omar Ould Hamaha{{KIA
{{flagicon image, Flag of Jihad.svg Ba Ag Moussa{{KIA , strength1 = {{flagicon, Mali 6,000–
7,000
(pre-war: ~12,150)
{{flagicon, France 3,000
{{flagicon, Chad 2,000
{{flagicon, Germany 1,400 (2022)
{{flagicon, Egypt 1,216
{{flagicon, Nigeria 1,200{{cite news, title=Mali army retakes key towns from rebels, url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/01/2013118122039129487.html, access-date=18 January 2013, publisher=Al Jazeera, date=18 January 2013
{{flagicon, Togo 733
{{flagicon, Sierra Leone 650
{{flagicon, Burkina Faso 500
{{flagicon, Ivory Coast 500
{{flagicon, Niger 500
{{flagicon, Senegal 500
{{flagicon, Netherlands 450{{cite news, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mali-security-dutch-idUSKBN0FE1YF20140709, title=Dutch special forces in Mali tackle changing threat: minister, work=Reuters, date=9 July 2014, access-date=17 December 2014
{{flagicon, Sweden 400 (2021)
{{flagicon, China 395
{{flagicon, UK 300
{{flagicon, Benin 300
{{flagicon, Canada 250
{{flagicon, Guinea 144
{{flagicon, Ghana 120
{{flagicon, Estonia 100
{{flagicon, Liberia ~50
Total: 23,564+ ---- {{flagicon, European Union 545 ( EUTM)
{{Collapsible list , bullets = yes , title = Full list , {{flagicon, France 207 (command) , {{flagicon, Germany 73 , {{flagicon, Spain 59 , {{flagicon, UK 40 , {{flagicon, Czech Republic 33 , {{flagicon, Belgium 31 , {{flagicon, Poland 20 , {{flagicon, Italy 14 , {{flagicon, Sweden 14 , {{flagicon, Finland 10 , {{flagicon, Hungary 10 , {{flagicon, Ireland 8 , {{flagicon, Austria 7 , {{flagicon, Bulgaria 4 , {{flagicon, Greece 4 , {{flagicon, Slovenia 3 , {{flagicon, Estonia 2 , {{flagicon, Lithuania 2 , {{flagicon, Latvia 2 , {{flagicon, Luxembourg 1 , {{flagicon, Portugal 1 , {{flagicon, Romania 1 } ---- ~500 (FLNA) , strength2 = {{flagicon, Azawad 3,000{{cite web, url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Apr-02/168928-al-qaeda-unlikely-to-profit-from-mali-rebellion-experts.ashx#axzz1quEeCoBI, title=Al-Qaeda unlikely to profit from Mali rebellion: experts, author=Sofia Bouderbala, date=2 April 2012, work=The Daily Star, access-date=3 April 2012 , strength3 = {{flagicon image, Flag of Jihad.svg 1,200–3,000 * Boko Haram: 100 * Ansar Dine: 300 , casualties1 = {{flagicon, Mali 181+ killed,
400 captured{{cite web, url=http://www.elwatan.com/actualite/des-prisonniers-crient-leur-detresse-08-04-2012-165945_109.php, title=Des prisonniers crient leur détresse, publisher=El Watan, date=8 April 2012, language=fr, access-date=9 April 2012, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120409135846/http://www.elwatan.com/actualite/des-prisonniers-crient-leur-detresse-08-04-2012-165945_109.php, archive-date=9 April 2012, url-status=dead, df=dmy-all
Total:
1,000–1,500+ killed, captured or deserted (by April 2012) ---- {{flagicon, Mali 428+ killed
{{Flagicon, Chad 104 killed
{{flagicon, France 52 killed
{{flagicon, Guinea 16 killed
{{flagicon, Togo 16 killed
{{flagicon, Niger 15 killed
{{flagicon, Burkina Faso 14 killed
{{flagicon, Bangladesh 10 killed
{{flagicon, Egypt 7 killed

{{flagicon, Nigeria 5 killed
{{flagicon, Netherlands 4 killed
{{flagicon, Ivory Coast 4 killed
{{flagicon, Senegal 3 killed
{{flagicon, Germany 2 killed
{{flagicon, Sri Lanka 2 killed{{Cite news, url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2020/org1707.doc.htm, title=United Nations Staff Union President Urges States to Enhance Peacekeeper Security, as Targeted Attacks Kill 424 'Blue Helmets', Civilian Personnel in Last Decade , publisher=United Nations , access-date=2020-03-30
{{flagicon, Benin 1 killed
{{flagicon, Cambodia 1 dead{{cite web, url=https://apnews.com/fc2d244592400fb16dabce2c26d1a82c, title=UN announces first 2 deaths of UN peacekeepers from COVID-19, website=

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

, date=30 May 2020, access-date=30 May 2020
{{flagicon, China 1 killed
{{flagicon, El Salvador 1 dead
{{flagicon, Portugal 1 killed
{{flagicon, Liberia 1 killed{{cite web, url=http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/un-peacekeeper-killed-in-mali-identified-as-liberian-20170505, title=UN peacekeeper killed in Mali identified as Liberian, access-date=26 July 2017, archive-date=1 October 2018, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001043926/https://www.news24.com/Africa/News/un-peacekeeper-killed-in-mali-identified-as-liberian-20170505, url-status=dead
{{flagicon, Jordan 1+ killed , casualties2 = {{flagicon, Azawad 6–65 killed
(conflict with Malian Army){{cite news, url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mali/9026722/Fierce-clashes-between-Malian-army-and-Tuareg-rebels-kill-47.html, title=Fierce clashes between Malian army and Tuareg rebels kill 47, work=The Daily Telegraph, date=19 January 2012 , archive-date=16 June 2012, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616120500/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mali/9026722/Fierce-clashes-between-Malian-army-and-Tuareg-rebels-kill-47.html, location=London{{cite news, url=https://af.reuters.com/article/maliNews/idAFL5E8D407420120205, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114212606/http://af.reuters.com/article/maliNews/idAFL5E8D407420120205, url-status=dead, archive-date=14 January 2015, title=Mali says 20 rebels killed, thousands flee , work=Reuters , date=5 February 2012, access-date=7 March 2012 ---- 26–123 killed
(conflict with Islamists){{cite news, url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jd17HpOQd9fm43sEXIKYc2Okw-IQ?docId=CNG.d0196da202fadb24721b10ebdc7572ae.b61 , title=Mali: au moins 35 morts dans les affrontements islamistes/Touareg à Gao , language=fr , date=30 June 2012 , agency=Agence France-Presse , access-date=30 June 2012 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122182826/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jd17HpOQd9fm43sEXIKYc2Okw-IQ?docId=CNG.d0196da202fadb24721b10ebdc7572ae.b61 , archive-date=22 January 2013 {{cite web , url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hBFw8aQMUwyILkE0faoge_v3a2Tw?docId=CNG.5a399b35f2fd7797cbca9a2f17c8ca72.5a1 , title=Islamists seize north Mali town, at least 21 dead in clashes , date=27 June 2012 , access-date=12 January 2013 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201201046/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hBFw8aQMUwyILkE0faoge_v3a2Tw?docId=CNG.5a399b35f2fd7797cbca9a2f17c8ca72.5a1 , archive-date=1 February 2013 , df=dmy-all
---- 60 captured
17–19 killed (2013) , casualties3 = {{flagicon image, Flag of Jihad.svg 115 killed
(Conflict with Tuaregs) ---- {{flagicon image, Flag of Jihad.svg 625 killed
(French intervention during

Operation Serval Operation Serval (french: Opération Serval) was a French military operation in Mali. The aim of the operation was to oust Islamic militants from the north of Mali, who had begun a push into the center of Mali. Operation Serval followed the ...

) ---- {{flagicon image, Flag of Jihad.svg 1,200 killed or captured (French intervention during Operation Barkhane) as of January 2020) ---- {{flagicon image, Flag of Jihad.svg estimated 1,200–1,500 killed or captured, including 859 ISGS members killed and 169 others captured (French intervention during Operation Barkhane between January 2020 and April 2021) , notes = Displaced:
~144,000 refugees abroad
~230,000

internally displaced person An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee. ...

s
Total: ≈374,000{{cite news, last=Tran, first=Mark, title=Mali refugees flee across borders as fighting blocks humanitarian aid, url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/jan/17/mali-refugees-borders-fighting-humanitarian-aid, access-date=18 January 2013, newspaper=The Guardian, date=17 January 2013, location=London {{Campaignbox Northern Mali conflict (2012–present) The Mali War{{Efn, {{Lang-fr, Guerre du Mali; {{Lang-bm, Mali Kɛlɛ is an ongoing armed conflict that started in January 2012 between the northern and southern parts of

in Africa. On 16 January 2012, several

insurgent An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irre ...

groups began fighting a campaign against the Malian government for independence or greater autonomy for northern Mali, which they called

Azawad Azawad, or Azawagh (Tuareg: Azawaɣ, or Azawad; ar, أزواد) was a short-lived unrecognised state from 2012 to 2013. Azawagh (''Azawaɣ'') is the generic Tuareg Berber name of all Tuareg Berber areas, especially the northern half of Mal ...

. The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), an organization fighting to make this area of Mali an independent homeland for the

Tuareg people The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern Al ...

, had taken control of the region by April 2012. On 22 March 2012, President

was ousted in a coup d'état over his handling of the crisis, a month before a

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

was to have taken place.{{cite web, url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/03/201232251320110970.html, title=Mali soldiers say president toppled in coup – Africa, publisher=Al Jazeera, date=22 March 2012, access-date=22 March 2012 Mutinous soldiers, calling themselves the National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy and State (CNRDR), took control and suspended the constitution of Mali.Associated Press, "Coup Leader Reinstates Mali's Constitution", ''Express'', 2 April 2012. p. 8. As a consequence of the instability following the coup, Mali's three largest northern cities— Kidal, Gao and

Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...

—were overrun by the rebels{{cite news , url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/02/mali-rebellion-islamist-flag_n_1396092.html?ir=Australia , title=Islamist group plants flag in Mali's Timbuktu , author1=Baba Ahmed , author2=Rukmini Callimachi , name-list-style=amp , date=2 April 2012 , agency=Associated Press , work=Huffington Post , access-date=3 November 2015 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203193012/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/02/mali-rebellion-islamist-flag_n_1396092.html?ir=Australia , archive-date=3 February 2016 , url-status=dead , df=dmy-all on three consecutive days.{{cite news, url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5grilySJ5EdrgURoNp1mt3AIJhTgg?docId=CNG.915a5505555757d7df5029b5b99451cc.261 , title=Mali junta denounces 'rights violations' by rebels , author=Serge Daniel , agency=Agence France-Presse , date=4 April 2012 , access-date=6 April 2012 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201201147/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5grilySJ5EdrgURoNp1mt3AIJhTgg?docId=CNG.915a5505555757d7df5029b5b99451cc.261 , archive-date=1 February 2013 On 5 April 2012, after the capture of

Douentza Douentza (Fulfulde: ''Duwayⁿsa'') is a town and urban commune in the Mopti Region of central Mali. The town lies 145 km east-northeast of Mopti on the RN16, a paved road that links Mopti and Gao. It is the administrative center of the D ...

, the MNLA said that it had accomplished its goals and called off its offensive. The following day, it proclaimed the independence of northern Mali from the rest of the country, renaming it Azawad. The MNLA were initially backed by the Islamist group Ansar Dine. After the Malian military was driven from northern Mali, Ansar Dine and a number of smaller Islamist groups began imposing strict

Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

law. The MNLA and Islamists struggled to reconcile their conflicting visions for an intended new state. Afterwards, the MNLA began fighting against Ansar Dine and other Islamist groups, including

Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa The Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (abbreviated MOJWA) or the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (abbreviated MUJWA; ar, جماعة التوحيد والجهاد في غرب أفريقيا ''Jamāʿat at-tawḥīd wal-jih ...

(MOJWA/MUJAO), a splinter group of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. By 17 July 2012, the MNLA had lost control of most of northern Mali's cities to the Islamists.{{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/world/africa/jidhadists-fierce-justice-drives-thousands-to-flee-mali.html, last=Nossiter, first=Adam, title=Jihadists' Fierce Justice Drives Thousands to Flee Mali, access-date=18 July 2012, newspaper=The New York Times, date=18 July 2012 The government of Mali asked for foreign military help to re-take the north. On 11 January 2013, the French military began operations against the Islamists.{{cite news, url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/01/2013111135659836345.html, title=France begins Mali military intervention, date=11 January 2013, publisher=

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazee ...

, access-date=11 January 2013 Forces from other

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...

states were deployed shortly after. By 8 February, the Islamist-held territory had been re-taken by the Malian military, with help from the international coalition. Tuareg separatists have continued to fight the Islamists as well, although the MNLA has also been accused of carrying out attacks against the Malian military. A peace deal between the government and Tuareg rebels was signed on 18 June 2013, however on 26 September 2013 the rebels pulled out of the peace agreement and claimed that the government had not respected its commitments to the truce. In mid-2014, the French military in Mali ended its Operation Serval and transitioned to the broader regional counterterrorist effort, Operation Barkhane. Despite a ceasefire agreement signed on 19 February 2015 in

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques d ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

, and a peace accord in the capital on 15 April 2015, fighting continued. Starting in 2018, there was an increase in rebel attacks in the

Sahel The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid cli ...

, accompanied by a French troop surge. Mali experienced two successful coups in 2020 and 2021, both orchestrated by the Malian military. After the Malian coup in 2021, the government and French forces in the country had a falling out, with the former demanding the latter's withdrawal. Amid popular Malian anti-French protests and increasing involvement in the war by the Russian mercenary Wagner Group, the French withdrew their forces from the country entirely by August 15, 2022, ending their presence in the country.{{cite web , url=https://www.voanews.com/a/french-forces-complete-departure-from-mali-/6702201.html , title=French Forces Complete Departure from Mali

Background

{{Further, History of Mali In the early 1990s

Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern Al ...

and

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

nomads A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the po ...

formed the People's Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MPA) and declared war for independence of the northern part of Mali.Backgrounder: Situation in Mali, Ralph Sundberg, 5 June 2012,

Uppsala Conflict Data Program The Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) is a data collection program on organized violence, based at Uppsala University in Sweden. The UCDP is a leading provider of data on organized violence and armed conflict, and it is the oldest ongoing data ...

, http://uppsalaconflictdataprogram.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/backgrounder-situation-in-mali/ Despite peace agreements with the government of Mali in 1991 and 1995 a growing dissatisfaction among the former Tuareg fighters, who had been integrated into the Military of Mali, led to new fighting in 2007. Despite historically having difficulty maintaining alliances between secular and Islamist factions the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad allied itself with the Islamist groups Ansar Dine and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and began the 2012 Northern Mali conflict. The MNLA was an offshoot of a political movement known as the National Movement for Azawad (MNA) prior to the insurgency. After the end of the

Libyan Civil War Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...

, an influx of weaponry led to the arming of the Tuareg in their demand for independence. The strength of this uprising and the use of heavy weapons, which were not present in the previous conflicts, were said to have "surprised" Malian officials and observers.{{cite news , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/world/africa/tuaregs-use-qaddafis-arms-for-rebellion-in-mali.html?pagewanted=all , title=Qaddafi's Weapons, Taken by Old Allies, Reinvigorate an Insurgent Army in Mali , author=Adam Nossiter , date=5 February 2012 , work=The New York Times , access-date=26 March 2012 Though dominated by Tuaregs, the MNLA claimed that they represented other ethnic groups as well, and were reportedly joined by some Arab leaders.{{cite web , author=Andy Morgan , url=http://thinkafricapress.com/mali/causes-uprising-northern-mali-tuareg , title=The Causes of the Uprising in Northern Mali , publisher=Think Africa Press , date=6 February 2012 , access-date=7 March 2012 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209055102/http://thinkafricapress.com/mali/causes-uprising-northern-mali-tuareg , archive-date=9 February 2012 , df=dmy-all The MNLA's leader Bilal Ag Acherif said that the onus was on Mali to either give the

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

n peoples their self-determination or they would take it themselves.{{cite web, last=Ibrahim , first=Jibrin , url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201203260286.html , title=West Africa: Mali and the Azawad Question , publisher=allAfrica.com , date=26 March 2012 , access-date=2 April 2012 Another Tuareg-dominated group, the Islamist Ansar Dine (''Defenders of Faith''), initially fought alongside the MNLA against the government. Unlike the MNLA, it did not seek independence but rather the imposition of Islamic law (

) across Mali.{{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17596831 , title=Mali: Timbuktu heritage may be threatened, UNESCO says , publisher=BBC , date=3 April 2012 , access-date=4 April 2012 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403181726/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17596831 , archive-date=3 April 2012 The movement's leader Iyad Ag Ghaly was part of the early 1990s rebellion and has been reported to be linked to an offshoot of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) that is led by his cousin Hamada Ag Hama as well as Algeria's Département du Renseignement et de la Sécurité (DRS).{{cite web, url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/03/20123208133276463.html , title=Mali's Tuareg rebellion: What next? , author=Jeremy Keenan , publisher=Al Jazeera , date=20 March 2012 , access-date=23 March 2012 Mali was going through several crises at once that favored the rise of the conflict: * State crisis: the establishment of a Tuareg state has been a long-term goal of the MNLA, since it began a rebellion in 1962. Thereafter, Mali has been in a constant struggle to maintain its territory. * Food crisis: Mali's economy has an extreme dependence on outside assistance, which has led Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to blockade, to subdue the military junta.{{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17591322 , title=West African ECOWAS Leaders Impose Mali Sanctions , publisher=BBC , date=3 April 2012 , access-date=14 January 2013 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202221612/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17591322 , archive-date=2 February 2013 * Political crisis: The mutiny led to the fall of the president.

Tuareg rebellion (January–April 2012)

{{further, Tuareg rebellion (2012) The first attacks of the rebellion took place in

Ménaka Ménaka ( Berber: ⵎⵏⴾⴰ) is a town and urban commune in Ménaka Cercle and Ménaka Region in eastern Mali. It is the seat and the largest town in the ''cercle'' and region. The town is set amidst the rocky outcrops of the Ader Douchi hil ...

, a small town in far eastern Mali, on 16 and 17 January 2012. On 17 January, attacks in

Aguelhok Aguelhok also known as Adjelhoc (the official name) is a rural commune and village in the Kidal Region of eastern Mali in the Tessalit Cercle. In the census of 2009 the commune had a population of 8,080. Geography Adjelhoc is situated in the n ...

and Tessalit were reported. The Mali government claimed to have regained control of all three towns the next day. On 24 January, the rebels retook Aguelhok after the Malian army ran out of ammunition. The next day the Mali government once again recaptured the city.{{cite web, url=http://stratfor.com/weekly/mali-besieged-fighters-fleeing-libya, title=Mali Besieged by Fighters Fleeing Libya, publisher=Stratfor, access-date=22 March 2012, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017142528/http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/mali-besieged-fighters-fleeing-libya, archive-date=17 October 2012, url-status=dead Mali launched air and land counter operations to take back the seized territory, amid protests in Bamako and Kati. Malian president

then reorganised his senior commanders for the fight against the rebels. On 1 February 2012, the MNLA took control of the city of Menaka when the Malian army operated what they called a tactical retreat. The violence in the north led to counter protests in the capital city of

Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on the Niger Rive ...

. Dozens of Malian soldiers were also killed in fighting in Aguelhok.{{cite news, url=https://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E8CV5ZF20120202, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114221944/http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E8CV5ZF20120202, url-status=dead, archive-date=14 January 2015, title=Mali capital paralysed by anti-rebellion protests, work=Reuters, date=2 February 2012, access-date=7 March 2012 On 6 February, rebel forces attacked Kidal, a regional capital. On 4 March 2012, a new round of fighting was reported near the formerly rebel-held town of Tessalit. The next day, three Malian army units gave up trying to lift the siege. The

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

air-dropped supplies via

C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desi ...

aircraft in support of the besieged Malian soldiers.{{cite news, url=http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Malian-forces-battle-Tuareg-rebels-20120304, title=Malian forces battle Tuareg rebels, agency=South African Press Association, publisher=News24, date=4 March 2012, access-date=22 March 2012, archive-date=9 November 2013, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109231849/http://www.news24.com/africa/news/malian-forces-battle-tuareg-rebels-20120304, url-status=dead The C-130's most likely came from either

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural, and economic centre of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 2,415,266 in 2019. The city's n ...

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana t ...

, or

Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...

, both of which are known to have been used by the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...

.{{cite news , url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-expands-secret-intelligence-operations-in-africa/2012/06/13/gJQAHyvAbV_story.html , title = U.S. expands secret intelligence operations in Africa , last = Whitlock , first = Craig , date = 2012-06-13 , newspaper =

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

, access-date = 2014-11-06 On 11 March, the MNLA re-took Tessalit and its airport, and the Malian military forces fled towards the border with Algeria.{{cite news, url=http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/tuareg-rebels-take-mali-garrison-town-say-sources/ , title=Tuareg rebels take Mali garrison town, say sources , agency=Reuters , publisher=Trust , date=11 March 2012 , access-date=22 March 2012 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414214427/http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/tuareg-rebels-take-mali-garrison-town-say-sources , archive-date=14 April 2012 The rebels advanced to about 125 kilometers away from

and their advance was unchecked when they entered without fighting in the towns of

Diré Diré is a town and commune on the left bank of the Niger River in the Tombouctou Region of Mali. In the 2009 census the population of the commune was 22,365. The town is the administrative center of the Diré Cercle. There are several langua ...

and

Goundam Goundam is a commune and town in north central Mali, in the Tombouctou Region. It is the capital of Goundam Cercle, one of five subdivisions of the Region. In the 2009 census the commune had a population of 16,253. The main ethnic groups are S ...

.{{cite news, url=https://af.reuters.com/article/maliNews/idAFL5E8EE7LD20120314?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0 , title=Mauritania denies collusion as Mali rebels advance , work=Reuters , date=14 March 2012 , access-date=22 March 2012 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114212715/https://af.reuters.com/article/maliNews/idAFL5E8EE7LD20120314?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0 , archive-date=14 January 2015 Ansar Dine stated that it had control of the Mali-Algeria border.

Coup d'état

{{main, 2012 Malian coup d'état On 21 March 2012, soldiers dissatisfied with the course of the conflict attacked Defense Minister Sadio Gassama as he arrived to speak to them. They then stoned the minister's car, forcing him to flee the camp.{{cite news , title=Mali Military Blocks Presidential Palace After Gunshots , publisher=Bloomberg , date=21 March 2012 , url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-21/mali-military-blocks-presidential-palace-after-gunshots-2-.html , access-date=22 March 2012 , first=Diakaridia , last=Dembele Later that day, soldiers stormed the presidential palace, forcing Touré into hiding.{{cite news , agency=Agence France-Presse , url=http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/mali-army-claims-upper-hand-over-rebels-amid-coup-disarray/112262/ , title=Mali army claims upper hand over rebels amid coup disarray , date=25 March 2012 , access-date=25 March 2012 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407112444/http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/mali-army-claims-upper-hand-over-rebels-amid-coup-disarray/112262/ , archive-date=7 April 2012 , url-status=dead , df=dmy-all The next morning, Captain Amadou Sanogo, the chairman of the new National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy and State (CNRDR), made a statement in which he announced that the junta had suspended Mali's constitution and taken control of the nation. The mutineers cited Touré's alleged poor handling of the insurgency and the lack of equipment for the Malian Army as their reasons for the rebellion. The CNRDR would serve as an interim regime until power could be returned to a new, democratically elected government.{{cite news , title=Renegade Mali soldiers say seize power, depose Toure , work=Reuters , date=22 March 2012 , url=https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE82L00620120322 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725190152/http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE82L00620120322 , url-status=dead , archive-date=25 July 2012 , access-date=22 March 2012 The coup was "unanimously condemned" by the

international community The international community is an imprecise phrase used in geopolitics and international relations to refer to a broad group of people and governments of the world. As a rhetorical term Aside from its use as a general descriptor, the term is t ...

,{{cite news , url=http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2012/03/24/au-mali-le-front-des-putschistes-se-fragilise_1675215_3212.html , title=Au Mali, le front des putschistes se fragilise , date=24 March 2012 , work=Le Monde , language=fr , access-date=24 March 2012 including by the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, ...

,{{cite web , url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/03/2012322234952301942.html , title=International condemnation for Mali coup , date=23 March 2012 , publisher=Al Jazeera , access-date=24 March 2012 the

, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the latter of which announced on 29 March that the CNRDR had 72 hours to relinquish control before landlocked Mali's borders would be closed by its neighbours, its assets would be frozen by the West African Economic and Monetary Union, and individuals in the CNRDR would receive freezes on their assets and travel bans.{{cite web , url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/04/20124181943166936.html , title=Malian coup leader to restore constitution , date=1 April 2012 , publisher=Al Jazeera , access-date=31 March 2012 ECOWAS{{cite web , url=http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2012/04/201242103543735302.html , title=Is Mali heading for a split? , date=2 April 2012 , publisher=Al Jazeera , access-date=2 April 2012 and the African Union also suspended Mali. The U.S., the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

, and the

African Development Bank The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) or (BAD) is a multilateral development finance institution headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and private companies ...

suspended development aid funds in support of ECOWAS and the AU's reactions to the coup.{{cite web, url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/03/2012322234952301942.html , title=International condemnation for Mali coup – Africa , publisher=Al Jazeera , date=4 October 2011 , access-date=23 March 2012{{cite news , url=https://news.yahoo.com/us-cuts-off-aid-malis-government-coup-174419428.html , title=US cuts off aid to Mali's government after coup , author=Bradley Klapper , date=26 March 2012 , agency=Associated Press , access-date=26 March 2012

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre ...

President

Alassane Ouattara Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF){{cite web, url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/03/2012331101518829540.html , title=Tuareg rebels enter key Malian town – Africa , publisher=Al Jazeera , date=4 October 2011 , access-date=1 April 2012 Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaore was appointed as a mediator by ECOWAS to resolve the crisis. An agreement was reached between the junta and ECOWAS negotiators on 6 April, in which both Sanogo and Touré would resign, sanctions would be lifted, the mutineers would be granted amnesty, and power would pass to

National Assembly of Mali The National Assembly of Mali is the unicameral country's legislative body of 147 voting members. Members of the National Assembly, called deputies, are elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term, during which they enjoy parliament ...

Speaker Diouncounda Traoré. Following Traoré's inauguration, he pledged to "wage a total and relentless war" on the Tuareg rebels unless they released their control of northern Malian cities.

Continued offensive

During the uncertainty following the coup, the rebels launched an offensive with the aim of capturing several towns and army camps abandoned by the Malian army. Though the offensive ostensibly included both the MNLA and Ansar Dine, according to Jeremy Keenan of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ...

, Ansar Dine's military contribution was slight: "What seems to happen is that when they move into a town, the MNLA take out the military base – not that there's much resistance – and Iyad

g Aghaly G, or g, is the seventh letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''gee'' (pronounced ), plural ''gees''. History Th ...

goes into town and puts up his flag and starts bossing everyone around about Sharia law." On 30 March 2012, the rebels seized control of Kidal, the capital of Kidal Region,{{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17562066 , work=BBC News , title=Mali coup: Rebels seize desert town of Kidal , date=30 March 2012 , access-date=30 March 2012 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330175037/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17562066 , archive-date=30 March 2012 as well as Ansongo and Bourem in Gao Region.{{cite news , url=https://af.reuters.com/article/maliNews/idAFL6E8EU3F020120330?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114212717/http://af.reuters.com/article/maliNews/idAFL6E8EU3F020120330?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0, url-status=dead, archive-date=14 January 2015, title=Mali coup leader seeks help as rebels seize towns, author1=David Lewis , author2=Adama Diarra , name-list-style=amp , date=30 March 2012, work=Reuters, access-date=30 March 2012 On 31 March, Gao fell to the rebels, and both MNLA and Ansar Dine flags appeared in the city. The following day, rebels attacked Timbuktu, the last major government-controlled city in the north; they captured it with little fighting.{{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17576725 , title=Mali Tuareg rebels enter Timbuktu after troops flee , date=1 April 2012 , work=BBC News , access-date=1 April 2012 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401151348/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17576725 , archive-date=1 April 2012 The speed and ease with which the rebels took control of the north was attributed in large part to the confusion created in the army's coup, leading

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was est ...

to describe it as "a spectacular own-goal". On 6 April 2012, stating that it had secured all of its desired territory, the MNLA declared independence from Mali. However, the declaration was rejected as invalid by the

and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

Islamist–nationalist conflict (June–November 2012)

{{main, Internal conflict in Azawad After the withdrawal of Malian government forces from the region, former co-belligerents Ansar Dine, MOJWA, and the MNLA soon found themselves in conflict with each other as well as the populace. On 5 April 2012, Islamists, possibly from AQIM or MOJWA, entered the Algerian consulate in Gao and took hostages. The MNLA succeeded in negotiating their release without violence, and one MNLA commander said that the movement had decided to disarm other armed groups. On 8 April, a mostly Arab militia calling itself the National Liberation Front of Azawad (FNLA) announced its intention to oppose Tuareg rule, battle the MNLA, and "return to peace and economic activity"; the group claimed to consist of 500 fighters. The MNLA clashed with protesters in Gao on 14 May, reportedly injuring four and killing one. On 6 June, residents of Kidal protested against the imposition of Sharia in the town and in support of MNLA, protests which were violently dispersed by Ansar Dine members. By the night of 8 June, MNLA and Ansar Dine rebels clashed against each other in the city with automatic weapons, with two dying in the skirmish.{{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18377168 , title=Mali rebel groups 'clash in Kidal' , date=8 June 2012 , work=BBC News , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121223052848/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18377168 , archive-date=23 December 2012 In early June, Nigerien president

Mahamadou Issoufou Mahamadou Issoufou (born 1 January 1952) is a Nigerien politician who served as the President of Niger from 7 April 2011 to 2 April 2021. Issoufou was the prime minister of Niger from 1993 to 1994, president of the National Assembly from 1995 t ...

stated that Afghan and Pakistani jihadists were training Touareg Islamist rebels.

Battle of Gao and aftermath

{{further, Battle of Gao Tuareg rebel in northern Mali

Clashes began to escalate between the MNLA and the Islamists after a merger attempt failed, despite the signing of a power-sharing treaty.{{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18224004 , title=Mali Tuareg and Islamist rebels agree on Sharia state , date=26 May 2012 , work=BBC News , access-date=27 May 2012 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121223052717/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18224004 , archive-date=23 December 2012 Protests broke out on 26 June 2012 in the city of Gao, the majority of whose people are not Tuaregs (as opposed to the MNLA), but rather sub-Saharan groups such as the Songhay and Fula peoples. The protestors opposed the Tuareg rebels and the partition of Mali. Two were killed as a result of the protests, allegedly by MNLA troops. The protesters used both Malian and Islamist flags, and

France 24 France 24 ( in French) is a French state-owned international news television network based in Paris. Its channels broadcast in French, English, Arabic, and Spanish and are aimed at the overseas market. Based in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Mo ...

reported that many locals supported the Islamists as a result of their opposition to the Tuareg nationalists and the secession of Azawad. On 26 June 2012, the tension came to all-out combat in Gao between the MNLA and MOJWA, with both sides firing heavy weapons. MNLA Secretary General Bilal ag Acherif was wounded in the battle. The MNLA were soon driven from the city,{{cite news , url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mali/9365390/Trouble-in-Timbuktu-as-Islamists-extend-control.html , title=Trouble in Timbuktu as Islamists extend control , author=Zoe Flood , date=29 June 2012 , work=The Daily Telegraph , access-date=30 June 2012 , location=London and from Kidal and Timbuktu shortly after. However, the MNLA stated that it continued to maintain forces and control some rural areas in the region. As of October 2012, the MNLA retained control of the city of

, with hundreds of people taking refuge in the city from the rule of the Islamists, and the city of Tinzawatene near the Algerian border. In the same month, a splinter group broke off from the MNLA; calling itself the Front for the Liberation of the Azawad (FPA), the group stated that Tuareg independence was no longer a realistic goal and that they must concentrate on fighting the Islamists.

Takeover of Douentza and Ménaka

On 1 September 2012, MOJWA took over the southern town of

, which had previously been held by a Songhai secular militia, the Ganda Iso. A MOJWA spokesman said that the group had had an agreement with the Ganda Iso, but had decided to occupy the town when the militia appeared to be acting independently, and gained control of the town following a brief standoff with Ganda Iso.{{cite news , url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/islamist-rebels-gain-ground-seize-control-of-douentza-in-northern-mali/2012/09/01/04a88536-f433-11e1-b74c-84ed55e0300b_story.html , title=Islamist rebels gain ground in Mali, seize control of Douentza, ousting former allied militia , date=1 September 2012 , newspaper=The Washington Post , archive-date=11 December 2018 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211071817/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/islamist-rebels-gain-ground-seize-control-of-douentza-in-northern-mali/2012/09/01/04a88536-f433-11e1-b74c-84ed55e0300b_story.html , access-date=2 September 2012 Once MOJWA troops surrounded the city, the militia reportedly surrendered without a fight and were disarmed. On 16 November 2012, Tuareg MNLA forces launched an offensive against Gao in an attempt to retake the town. However, by the end of the day, the Tuaregs were beaten back by the MOJWA forces after the Islamists laid an ambush for them. A Malian security source said that at least a dozen MNLA fighters were killed while the Islamists suffered only one dead. An MNLA official stated that their forces killed 13 MOJWA fighters and wounded 17, while they suffered only nine wounded.{{cite web, url=http://www.france24.com/en/20121116-malian-tuaregs-Gao-MNLA- , title=New fighting breaks out in northern Mali , publisher=France 24 , date=16 November 2012 , access-date=12 January 2013 On 19 November 2012, MOJWA and AQIM forces took over the eastern town of

, which had previously been held by the MNLA, with dozens of fighters from both sides and civilians killed. On the first day of fighting, the MNLA claimed its forces killed 65 Islamist fighters, while they suffered only one dead and 13 wounded. The Islamists for their part stated they killed more than 100 MNLA fighters and captured 20."North Mali clashes kill dozens, some unarmed: source"
Google News (AFP), 20 November 2012 {{webarchive , url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201201101/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j6dnx4NTM3B9w2ZubUbVNiHw-0Kg?docId=CNG.52abdac0e7976e9d4a137aa05c36be57.11 , date=1 February 2013

Foreign intervention (January 2013)

{{Main, Operation Serval, African-led International Support Mission to Mali, EUTM Mali {{See also, Timeline of the Northern Mali conflict Pro-government militia in Mali training

Pro-government militia in Mali training3

Following requests from both the Mali government and ECOWAS for foreign military intervention,{{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19933979 , title=UN adopts resolution on northern Mali , publisher=BBC , date=13 October 2012 , access-date=13 October 2012 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013013800/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19933979 , archive-date=13 October 2012 on 12 October 2012 the

unanimously,{{cite web , url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2012/10/14/2003545138 , title=UN Security Council aims for intervention in Mali , publisher=Tapai Times, via AFP , date=14 October 2012 , access-date=13 October 2012 under

Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter sets out the UN Security Council's powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military an ...

,{{cite web , url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=43281&Cr=+mali+&Cr1=#.UHnwscWHJ8E , title=Security Council paves way for possible intervention force in northern Mali , publisher=United Nations , date=12 October 2012 , access-date=13 October 2012 passed a French resolution approving an African-led force to assist the army of Mali in combating the Islamist militants.{{cite news, title=U.N. Security Council asks for Mali plan within 45 days, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mali-crisis-un-idUSBRE89B17U20121012, access-date=13 October 2012, work=Reuters, date=12 October 2012 The resolution gave 45 days for "detailed and actionable recommendations" for military intervention which would be drafted by ECOWAS and the African Union, with a figure of 3,000 proposed troops reported. A prior ECOWAS plan had been rejected by diplomats as lacking sufficient detail. While authorising the planning of force, and dedicating UN resources to this planning, UN Security Council Resolution 2071 does not authorize the deployment of force. However, UN Security Council Resolution 2085, passed on 20 December 2012, "authorizes the deployment of an African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) for an initial period of one year."{{cite web , url=https://www.un.org/en/sc/documents/resolutions/2012.shtml , title=UN Security Council Resolution 2085 , publisher=United Nations , date=20 December 2012 , access-date=14 January 2013 On 8 January 2013, rebels were reported by

to have captured 12 Malian government troops near the town of

Konna Konna is a town and rural commune in the Cercle of Mopti in the Mopti Region of Mali. The town lies 60 km northeast of Mopti on the eastern edge of the flood plain of the Niger River. The main RN16 highway linking Sévaré and Gao branche ...

. On the same day, RFI reports that governmental troops fired warning shots and slightly progressed from Konna toward

MNLA realigns with the Malian Government

By December, the now displaced MNLA began peace talks with the Malian government and relinquished its previous goal of Azawadi independence in favor of a request for self-rule within Mali. After the French entry in January 2013, the MNLA spokesman in Paris, Moussa Ag Assarid (who had criticized the splinter group FPA months earlier for giving up on independence) declared that the MNLA was "ready to help" their former opponents in the fight against the Islamists. At this time, the MNLA controlled no big localities and was only strong in rural and desert areas near the borders with Mauritania, Algeria and Niger, having been driven off from most of its claimed territory by Islamist groups. After the declaration, the MNLA re-engaged the Islamist forces, and, with the help of one defecting Islamist faction, retook the cities of Tessalit and Kidal (the site of earlier pro-MNLA protests against the Islamists) in late January.{{cite news, url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2013/01/28/01003-20130128ARTFIG00523-mali-les-touaregs-laiques-disent-avoir-repris-kidal.php , title=les touaregs laïques disent avoir repris Kidal , work=Le Figaro , date=28 January 2013 , access-date=28 January 2013{{cite news , url=http://www.voanews.com/content/french-forces-seize-control-outside-timbuktu/1592063.html , title=Reports: Islamists Lose Two Cities in Northern Mali , publisher=Voice of America , date=28 January 2013

Battle of Konna and French intervention

{{further, Battle of Konna French troops in Bamako

On 10 January 2013, Islamist forces captured the strategic town of

, located 600 km from the capital, from the Malian army. Later, an estimated 1,200 Islamist fighters advanced to within 20 kilometers of Mopti, a nearby Mali military garrison town. The following day, the French military launched Opération Serval, intervening in the conflict. According to analysts, the French were forced to act sooner than planned because of the importance of Sévaré military airport, located 60 km south of Konna, for further operations. The operation included the use of Gazelle helicopters from the Special forces, which stopped an Islamist column advancing to Mopti, and the use of four Mirage 2000-D jets of the

Armée de l'Air The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Ar ...

operating from a base in Chad. 12 targets were hit by the Mirages during the night between the 11th and the 12th. The French chief of army staff,

Édouard Guillaud Amiral Édouard Guillaud (born 10 July 1953)

, announced that the Islamists had withdrawn from Konna and retreated several dozen of kilometres into the north. The air strikes reportedly destroyed half a dozen Islamist armed pick-up trucks and a rebel command center. One French pilot, Lieutenant Damien Boiteux, was killed after his attack helicopter was downed by ground fire during the operation. During the night of 11 January 2013, the Malian army, backed by French troops, claimed it had regained control of the town of Konna, and claimed to have killed over 100 Islamists. Afterwards, a Malian lieutenant said that mopping up operations were taking place around Konna.{{cite news , url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mali-rebels-idUSBRE90912Q20130111 , title=Malian army beats back Islamist rebels with French help , work=Reuters , access-date=12 January 2013 , last=Irish , first=John , date=11 January 2013 AFP witnesses had seen dozens of Islamist corpses around Konna, with one saying he counted 46 bodies.{{cite news, title=French Gunships Stop Mali Islamist Advance, url=http://www.chillnews.net/worldnews/french-gunships-stop-mali-islamist-advance/8891, access-date=12 January 2013, agency=Agence France-Presse, date=12 January 2013, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114091646/http://www.chillnews.net/worldnews/french-gunships-stop-mali-islamist-advance/8891, archive-date=14 January 2013, df=dmy-all The French stated four rebel vehicles were hit by their airstrikes,{{cite web, url=http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3A27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3Afc288939-6cb4-45dc-8edb-c96a58c0dce0 , title=Gazelle Downed in French Air Raid, Soldier Killed , work=Aviation Week & Space Technology , access-date=13 January 2013 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130112230753/http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3A27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3Afc288939-6cb4-45dc-8edb-c96a58c0dce0 , archive-date=12 January 2013 while the Malian Army claimed nearly 30 vehicles were bombed. Several dozens of Malian soldiers{{cite news, url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mali-rebels-idUKBRE90B09Y20130112 , title=Over 100 dead in French strikes and fighting in Mali , work=Reuters , date=9 January 2013 , access-date=13 January 2013 and 10 civilians were also killed. A resident of Gao, the headquarters of the

, said that the city's hospital had been overwhelmed with dead and wounded. In all, one local resident counted 148 bodies around Konna. In the wake of the French deployment, ECOWAS said that it had ordered troops to be deployed immediately to Mali, the UN Security Council said that the previously planned UN-led force would be deployed in the near future, and the European Union said it had increased preparations for sending military training troops into Mali. The MNLA also offered to join the offensive against the Islamists. On 12 January the British government announced that it was deploying two Royal Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, C-17 transport planes in a non-combat role to ferry primarily French but also potentially African forces into Mali. On 13 January, regional security sources announced the death in Konna of Abdel Krim nicknamed "Kojak", a high level leader in the Ansardine group. French defense minister Le Drian said that new airstrikes were ongoing in Mali, happened during the last night and will happen the next day as well. A resident of Léré, Mali, Léré told that airstrikes had been conducted in the area. The airstrikes were concentrated on three areas, Konna, Léré and Douentza. Two helicopters were seen attacking Islamist positions in Gao. A dozen strikes targeted the city and its outskirts. A resident reported that all Islamist bases around Gao had been taken out of operation by the strikes. An Islamist base in Kidal was targeted by the French air force. French defence minister Le Drian, announced that four Rafale fighters had participated in the Gao airstrikes. They left France and are now based in Chad. It was reported that following the strikes which destroyed their bases, the MUJAO forces left Gao. Residents reported that 60 Islamists died in the Gao airstrikes. Some other were hiding in the houses and picked the dead bodies during the night. On 14 January, the Islamists attacked the city of Diabaly 400 km north of

, in the government-held areas. They came from the Mali–Mauritania border, Mauritanian border where they fled to avoid the airstrikes. The AQIM leader known as Abu Zeid was leading the operation. On the same day, Islamists pledged to launch attacks on French soil. Jihadists took control of Diabaly a few hours after their attacks. On 15 January, the French defense minister confirmed that the Mali military had still not recaptured Konna from rebel forces, despite earlier claims that they did.{{Cite news, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-20907386, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115232316/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20907386, url-status=live, title=France military says Mali town Konna 'not recaptured', work=BBC News, date=15 January 2013, archive-date=15 January 2013 Meanwhile, the Royal Canadian Air Force dispatched a C-17 transport plane to Mali in a similar role as those of the British C-17s. The Danish Parliament decided to contribute a Lockheed C-130 Hercules, C-130 transport plane and the Belgian government made the decision to send two C-130s along with one Belgian Medical Component, Medical Component Agusta A109, Agusta A109 Medevac medical evacuation helicopter along with 80 support personnel to Mali.

In Aménas hostage crisis

{{main, In Aménas hostage crisis On 16 January, it was reported that a group of AQIM militants had crossed the border from Mali into

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

and had captured an Algerian/Statoil/BP-owned natural gas field, In Aménas, near the border with Libya. The militants were reported to have killed two foreign nationals and were holding 41 foreign nationals hostage, and a spokesman for the group said that the purpose of the attack was to get revenge on the countries that had intervened in Mali. The hostages reportedly included several American, Japanese, British, Romanian, Filipino and Norwegian citizens. Algeria was reportedly negotiating with the militants to try and obtain the hostages' release.{{cite news, url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/01/16/islamist-militants-from-mali-reportedly-kidnap-8-foreigners-at-algerian-gas-1052027220/, title=Al Qaeda-linked group reportedly holding 7 Americans among 41 hostages after taking control of Algerian gas field , work=Fox News , date=16 January 2013 On 19 January 11 militants and 7 hostages were killed in a final assault to end the standoff. In addition, 16 foreign hostages were freed, including 2 Americans, 2 Germans, and 1 Portuguese.{{cite web, last=Goh, first=Melisa, url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/01/19/169781140/hostages-militants-reported-dead-in-algerian-assault, title=Hostages, Militants Reported Dead After Assault Ends Standoff: The Two-Way, publisher=NPR, date=19 January 2013, access-date=19 January 2013

Malian northward advance

{{further, Battle of Diabaly, Second battle of Gao, 3rd battle of Gao, 4th battle of Gao, Battle of Khalil, Battle of Iminenas, Battle of Tin Keraten, Battle of Timbuktu, 5th Battle of Gao, 2nd Battle of Timbuktu, Battle of in Arab On 16 January, French special forces, along with the Malian army, began fighting small and mobile groups of jihadists inside the city of Diabaly, but the French defense minister has denied the presence of French troops fighting in Diabaly. On the same day, the government of Spain approved the dispatch of one transport aircraft to Mali for the purposes of logistical and training support. Meanwhile, the government of Germany authorized the contribution of two Transall C-160 transport aircraft to ferry African troops into the capital Bamako. Likewise, the government of Italy pledged air transport-based logistical support. On 17 January, Banamba was put on alert after Islamists were reportedly spotted near the town. The Malian army immediately deployed 100 soldiers to the town, which were reinforced later. A convoy of Islamists reportedly left Diabaly and was heading towards Banamba on the same day, but no fighting ultimately took place in the town. On 18 January, the Malian Army released a statement claiming to have complete control of

again. The claim was confirmed by residents of Konna{{cite news, title=Mali army 'regains Konna' as Nigerian troops arrive , url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21077137 , access-date=18 January 2013 , publisher=BBC , date=18 January 2013 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118155155/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21077137 , archive-date=18 January 2013 as well as a spokesman for Ansar al-Dine. The same day, rebels were driven out of Diabaly according to multiple local sources. Reports came out on 19 January that residents of Gao had lynched Aliou Toure, a prominent Islamist leader and the MOJWA police commissioner of the city, in retaliation for the killing of a local journalist, Kader Toure. AFP cited local reports saying that the Islamists were beginning to leave other areas under their control to seek refuge in the mountainous and difficult-to-access Kidal Region.{{cite news, title=Malian, French troops patrol as powers offer aid , url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5joSXAi6hF3ZtemzMEse5aT_DvOBA?docId=CNG.f72391dd38486d97b3fe9368cebcb662.261 , access-date=20 January 2013 , agency=Agence France-Presse , date=20 January 2013 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201201239/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5joSXAi6hF3ZtemzMEse5aT_DvOBA?docId=CNG.f72391dd38486d97b3fe9368cebcb662.261 , archive-date=1 February 2013 On the same day, two Nigerian soldiers were killed and five were injured by Islamists near the Nigerian town of Okene as they were heading toward Mali. On 20 January, the United States denied that they had attempted to bill the French for American support in the conflict. United States Air Force, USAF C-17s began to fly in French troops and supplies the next day. On 21 January French and Malian troops entered Diabaly without resistance.

was also taken on the same day. On the evening of 24 January Malian soldiers took control of Hombori. On the same day a splinter group of Ansar al-Dine, calling itself the Islamic Movement for Azawad (MIA), stated that it wanted to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict and urged France and Mali to cease hostilities in the north in order "to create a climate of peace which will pave the way for an inclusive political dialogue". On 26 January, French Special Forces took over the airport and an important bridge in the city of Gao which remained largely Islamist-held. The troops reported "harassment" from Islamist forces but no solid resistance to their operations.{{cite news, last=Valdmanis, first=Richard, title=French forces in Mali seize airport, bridge at rebel-held Gao, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mali-rebels-idUSBRE90O0C720130126, access-date=26 January 2013, work=Reuters, date=26 January 2013 The city was taken by a French-backed Malian force later that day.{{cite news, last=Formanek, first=Ingrid, title=Malian troops recapture rebel stronghold, url=http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/26/world/africa/mali-unrest/?hpt=hp_t2, access-date=26 January 2013, publisher=CNN, date=26 January 2013 A new split happened in Ansar Dine, with one of its commanders in Léré, Mali, Léré, Kamou Ag Meinly quitting the group and joining the MNLA. On 27 January, French and Malian forces encircled

and began securing the city. After gaining the airport on 27 January, the next day, Malian and French military sources claimed that the entire area between Gao and

was under government control and access to the city was available. The city was fully taken by French and Malian forces by the next day. On 28 January, the MNLA took control of Kidal with the help of the Islamic Movement of Azawad (MIA), an Ansar Dine breakaway group that split after the international intervention. The MNLA also took control of the towns of Tessalit and in Khalil. Apparently, fighters who deserted the MNLA for the better financed Ansar Dine were now returning to the MNLA. Islamists were reported to have fled to the mountains. On 29 January, the first non-Malian African troops entered North Mali. Nigerien soldiers occupied Ansongo and Chadian troops,

. The more numerous Chadian Army was also reported as moving north from Ménaka in support of the Malian Army. On 30 January, French reached Kidal airport. No Malian soldiers were with them, as a confrontation with Tuaregs was feared. The town was reportedly under control of fighters from both the MNLA and MIA. The MNLA, however denied any collaboration or even a desire to collaborate with the MIA, and stated that their fighters were maintaining control of the town alongside French forces. Many leaders of Ansar Dine left Iyad Ag Ghali. Delegations from the MNLA and MIA left for Ouagadougou to negotiate with Malian officials. On 2 February, Chadian troops from MISMA reached Kidal and stationed in a deserted base in the city. Their general said that they had no problem with the MNLA and had good relations with them. On the same day, the French President,

, joined Mali's interim President,

, in a public appearance in recently recaptured Timbuktu.{{cite news, title=Mali conflict: Timbuktu hails French President Hollande , url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21304079 , access-date=2 February 2013 , work=BBC News , date=2 February 2013 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202191543/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21304079 , archive-date=2 February 2013 On 5 February, according to Chadian news stations, 24 Chadian soldiers were killed and 11 were wounded when they were ambushed by jihadists during a patrol north of Kidal. The information was neither denied nor confirmed by Chadian and Malian authorities. However, the Chadian government did mention that 11 soldiers were injured in a "traffic accident" north of Kidal. On 8 February, French and Chadian troops announced that they had occupied Tessalit near the Algerian border, the seat of one of the last airports still not controlled by the Malian government and its allies.

Beginning of guerrilla phase

{{further, Battle of Ifoghas, Operation Panther (2013), Battle of Tigharghar, Attack on Kidal (2013), Battle of Djebok Islamist and Tuareg forces were reported to have retreated to the Adrar des Ifoghas, rugged badlands in northeastern Mali. Knowledge of and control over local sources of water is expected to play a vital role in continuing conflict in that area.{{cite news, title=Mali War Shifts as Rebels Hide in High Sahara, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/world/africa/new-focus-in-mali-is-finding-militants-who-have-fled-into-mountains.html, access-date=10 February 2013, newspaper=The New York Times, date=9 February 2013, author=Adam Nossiter, author2=Peter Tinti On 19 February, France began a new operation (''Panther'') intended to subdue the region.{{cite news, url=http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/02/21/actualidad/1361470537_795026.html, title=Malí: nuevos combates, más militares, author=Ediciones El País, work=EL PAÍS, access-date=17 December 2014, date=21 February 2013 Between 8 and 10 February, MUJAO – who had been harassing government forces from the outskirts since Malian and French forces took the city on 26 January – launched the first two suicide attacks of the war in Gao, resulting in the death of the two bombers and injuring a Malian soldier and a civilian. Islamist fighters armed with AK-47s then crossed the Niger River on canoes, took over an abandoned police station and deployed snipers in nearby buildings in anticipation of the government forces' counterattack. The situation was controlled by pro-government forces after heavy fighting which included an air attack on the police station by French helicopters. On 19 February, Islamists attacked a French parachute regiment of 150 soldiers supported by a heavy vehicle patrol and Mirage fighter jets. One French commando, a sergeant, was killed and so were 20 Islamist militants. Gao was attacked a second time on 20 February. Islamists again crossed the Niger and came close to the city hall, possibly with help from locals. The same day, a car bomb exploded in Kidal, killing two people. The fighting in Gao subsided after five Islamists were killed by Malian soldiers. On 22 February 2013, 13 Chadian soldiers and 65 Islamists were killed during heavy fighting in the northern mountains. The same day two suicide bombers crashed their cars into the MNLA's local operations center in the town of in Khalil, killing 5 people including 3 MNLA fighters and both bombers. U. S. President Obama announced on 22 February 2013 that about 100 American troops had been sent to Niger, which borders Mali, to aid the French in Mali. The most recent U. S. troops were sent to help set up a new air base, from which to conduct surveillance against Al Qaeda. 40 U. S. Air Force logistics specialists, intelligence analysts and security officers arrived in the capital of Niger on 20 February 2013, bringing the total Americans deployed in Niger to 100. On 24 February 28 Islamists and ten Chadian soldiers were killed while fighting in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains in Northern Mali. Soldats français à Gao2

On 26 February, a car bomb exploded in Kidal targeting a MNLA checkpoint. At least 7 MNLA fighters along with the suicide bomber were killed in the attack. On 20 March, AQIM claimed to have executed a French hostage in Mali, Phillipe Verdon, who had been kidnapped in 2011. On 23 March, Islamist fighters from MUJAO attacked the city of Gao, causing heavy fighting for two hours. The Malian army eventually repulsed this attack. On 30 March, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a Malian army checkpoint in

, allowing a group of jihadists to infiltrate by night. By 1 April, with the help of a French army detachment supported by war jets, the Malian army pushed the jihadists out of the city center. On 29 April, a French paratrooper was killed by a roadside bomb in Northern Mali, the sixth French soldier to die in the conflict. Two others were seriously injured. On 28 February,

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

n television informed that Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, one of the three top men of AQIM and deemed responsible of several kidnappings of westerners in the

in the 2000s, had been killed in battle against Franco-Chadian forces in the Tigharghar mountains along with about 40 of his followers, some kilometres away from

. The information was neither confirmed nor denied by the French Army. On 2 March 2013, it was reported that Mokhtar Belmokhtar, mastermind of the In Amenas hostage crisis in which 800 hostages had been taken and 39 Westerners killed at an Algerian oil refinery, had been killed as well.Chad Said to Have Killed Mastermind of Algerian Attack By ADAM NOSSITER Published: 2 March 2013 New York Times Africa on line https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/03/world/africa/chad-claims-to-have-killed-algeria-hostage-crisis-mastermind.html?_r=0 Chadian state television announced that "Chadian forces in Mali completely destroyed the main jihadist base in the Adrar de Ifhogas mountains... killing several terrorists including leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar", according to a BBC report.2 March 2013 Islamist militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar 'killed in Mali' BBC News Africa https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21645769 BBC correspondent Thomas Fessy said this would be a major blow if confirmed. On 4 March 2013, Al Qaeda's North African branch confirmed the death of Abou Zeid, but denied that Belmokhtar had been killed.

U.N. Peacekeeping Force

Now that the bulk of the conflict is over and the need for extended military involvement is decreasing, France looks to the UN to take over with the peacekeeping force that had been suggested earlier in the conflict once it was a more stable situation. The operation was termed MINUSMA. On 3 December 2020, the Government of the United Kingdom, UK government announced an increase in the British Army commitment to MINUSMA, with 300 soldiers principally drawn from the Light Dragoons and the Royal Anglian Regiment operating with 'a highly specialised reconnaissance capability'.

Chadian withdrawal

On 14 April, Chadian president Idriss Déby Itno announced the full withdrawal of Chadian Forces in Mali (FATIM), saying that face-to-face fighting with Islamists is over, and the Chadian army does not have the skills to fight a guerilla-style war. This announcement comes days after a 2013 Kidal suicide attack, suicide bomber killed four Chadian soldiers in Kidal, where 1,800 of its soldiers are currently stationed.

Peace deal

A peace deal between the government and Tuareg rebels was signed on 18 June 2013.

Insurgency and Operation Barkhane

{{Missing information, section, the details of the events, date=April 2022{{Update section, date=August 2018 {{Main, Operation Barkhane The MNLA ended the ceasefire in September of the same year after government forces opened fire on unarmed protesters. Following the attack, MNLA vice-president Mahamadou Djeri Maiga remarked: "What happened is a declaration of war. We will deliver this war. Wherever we find the Malian army we will launch the assault against them. It will be automatic. The warnings are over." One of the MNLA's founders, Attaye Ag Mohamed, was also quoted as saying that the "political and military wings of the Azawad" had declared "the lifting of the ceasefire with the central government".

2014–2015: Insurgents regroup, Islamic State taking part

{{Main, 2nd Battle of Kidal, March 2015 Bamako shooting, November 2015 Bamako hotel attack, 2016 Nampala attack On 20 February, Germany and France announced the shipment of elements of the Franco-German brigade to Mali to help train Mali troops. This is the first deployment of EU troops in Africa (as an EU contingent).

2016–2017: Conflict spreading to neighboring countries, creation of JNIM

{{Main, 2017 Gao bombing, June 2017 Bamako attack, Inkadogotane ambush

2018–2020: Conflict intensifies and French troops surge

In the first half of 2018, there was an increase in rebel attacks. As of July 2018, northern Mali was largely out of government control. In July 2018, three British Boeing Chinook (UK variants), RAF Chinook helicopters were deployed to assist with logistics and troop movement, to reduce the risks of ground transportation.{{cite news , url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/07/20/britain-risks-open-ended-conflict-mali-bid-protect-european/ , title=Britain risks 'open ended' conflict in Mali in bid to protect European security , last=Nicholls , first=Dominic , newspaper=Daily Telegraph , date=20 July 2018 , access-date=6 August 2018 On 13 February 2020, Mali government forces returned to Kidal after six years. On 6 April, militants attacked a military base in the Gao Region, Gao town of Bamba, Gao Region, Bamba, killing at least 25 Malian soldiers. From 24 April–27 August, a Mopti attacks, series of attacks took place in Mopti Region.

2021–present: French withdrawal and Russian intervention

In the first days of January 2022, after several months of rumors and negotiations, several hundred Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group were deployed in Mali, as well as soldiers from the Russian regular army in charge of logistics or serving as instructors. This deployment leads to strong protests from France, the United States and the Coordination of Movements of Azawad. Mali is also asking for a revision of its defense agreements with France. For its part, ECOWAS adopted heavy sanctions on January 9 against the Malian junta. On February 17, France, the European countries involved in Task Force Takuba and Canada officially announced their decision to withdraw their forces from Mali. French President Emmanuel Macron declared on this occasion: "We cannot remain militarily engaged alongside de facto authorities whose strategy or hidden objectives we share neither". Russian mercenaries signaled themselves through exactions: on the night of March 1 to 2, at least 35 Fulani civilians were massacred by the Malian army and the Wagner Group 1388. On March 4, the Mondoro military camp was attacked by jihadists and at least 27 Malian soldiers were killed. For its part, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked on March 8 and 9 the localities of Tamalat and Insinane, near Ménaka, held by the MSA. The clashes left a hundred dead, including several dozen Tuareg civilians massacred by the jihadists. On August 15, 2022, French troops had fully withdrawn from Mali towards Niger, ending their presence in the country. On October 31, 2022, a decision was made to withdraw the contingent of Russian private military campaigns from the Republic of Mali.

Casualties

{{See also, Casualty recording, Mali attacks

2012

2012 fatalities – 133.{{verify source, date=October 2013

2013

2013 fatalities 9+: :September Timbuktu bombing – 2 civilians and 4 bombers killed. :23 October – civilians and 2 peacekeepers killed.

2014

On 17 January, a Chadian MINUSMA peacekeeper was killed in an attack on a French-UN camp in Kidal. On 11 June, a car bomb killed four Chadian peacekeepers in Aguelhok. On 18 September, five Chadian MINUSMA peacekeepers were killed by a land mine. The Chadian government described the incident as "discriminatory" and said its soldiers were being used as "shields". On 23 October, two Chadian peacekeepers were killed in an attack in Tessalit.

2017

On 5 May 2017, a rocket hit a MINUMSA base killing a Liberian soldier and injuring 7 other soldiers, including several Liberians and a Swedish soldier. On 18 June, Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin Islamists June 2017 Bamako attack, attacked a luxury resort in

killing 5 people, including one Portuguese soldier. 6 attackers were also killed in the shooting and hostage-taking. On 26 July 2017, 2 German pilots died in a helicopter-crash.

2019

In a surge of attacks during October–November, over 100 Mali soldiers were killed. The attacks increased political discontent towards the government from the military community. The attacks also increased discontent towards the French peacekeeping forces located in the central part of the country. In response to the attacks, the military abandoned isolated outposts in the north.

2020

In February 2020, Human Rights Watch, HRW documented atrocities against civilians in Central Mali and said that at least 456 civilians were killed, while hundreds were injured from January 2019 until November. The rights organization also cited that it interviewed 147 victims, ethnic communities and security and justice officials. On April 6, 2020, an attack on a military camp in

left at least 23 dead, while several others injured. The Malian News Agency reported that the incident was carried out by unidentified gunmen, who took away the military equipment and also burned the camp. In July 2020, the

reported that unidentified gunmen opened fire on civilians on multiple villages of

and killed at least 31 civilians and 9 soldiers who returned fire, all within a week's time. To date over 600,000 have been displaced by this conflict.

2021

On March 17, at least 33 soldiers are killed and 14 others are wounded in an attack on a military post in Gao, Mali. On July 4, four Malian soldiers were killed in an ambush on their patrol near the town of Léré, Mali, Léré. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, which came as France resumed joint military exercises with members of the Malian Armed Forces, which had been suspended following the 2021 Malian coup d'état, coup d'état that year led by Colonel Assimi Goïta. On 31 December 2021, Malian Armed Forces, Mali's army announced 8 soldiers had died and 7 had been wounded during an attack in Sahel on the previous day (30 December 2021). They also said 31 assailants were also killed but did not identify the group.

2022

On 22 January 2022, a French soldier was killed and nine were injured in a mortar attack on Barkhane military camp in Gao, northern Mali. In March 2022, government forces Siege of Moura, set siege to the town of Mourrah. According to Human Rights Watch, over 300 civilians died.

Human rights concerns

{{Further, International Criminal Court investigation in Mali Following several reports of abuse from both sides, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court opened a case investigating war crimes in Mali on 16 January 2013. This case is the quickest any ICC investigation has begun after foreign military intervention.

Claims against separatists and Islamists

In May 2012, Amnesty International released a report stating that the conflict had created Mali's worst human rights situation since 1960. The organization stated that fighters with the MNLA and Ansar Dine were "running riot" in Mali's north, and documented instances of gang rape, extrajudicial executions, and the use of child soldiers by both Tuareg and Islamist groups. On 3 April 2012, armed groups looted 2,354 tons of food from United Nations' World Food Programme's warehouses in Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu, causing the WFP to suspend its food distribution operations in northern Mali.{{cite news, url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jZ9grPfu0TWqNu4VZE6rRlTWKRCA?docId=CNG.18f2de9d4c145d61a54efeb26eb8e9ae.131 , title=UN Council Hammers out Condemnation of Mali Conflict , date=3 April 2012 , agency=Agence France-Presse , access-date=3 April 2012 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201201303/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jZ9grPfu0TWqNu4VZE6rRlTWKRCA?docId=CNG.18f2de9d4c145d61a54efeb26eb8e9ae.131 , archive-date=1 February 2013 Other targets of looting included hospitals, hotels, government offices, Oxfam offices and the offices and warehouses of other unnamed aid groups.{{cite news, url=http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/wfp-suspends-some-operations-in-mali-after-food-aid-looted , title=WFP suspends some operations in Mali after food aid looted , author=George Fominyen , date=3 April 2012 , publisher=alert.net , agency=Reuters , access-date=3 April 2012 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418204956/http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/wfp-suspends-some-operations-in-mali-after-food-aid-looted/ , archive-date=18 April 2012 The WFP also stated that 200,000 had so far fled the fighting, predicting that the number would rise.

Claims against Islamists

Ansar el Dine also blocked a humanitarian convoy bringing medical and food aid from reaching Timbuktu on 15 May, objecting to the presence of women in the welcoming committee set up by city residents;{{cite news, url=http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/islamists-block-first-mali-aid-convoy-to-timbuktu/ , title=Islamists block first Mali aid convoy to Timbuktu , date=15 May 2012 , agency=Reuters , access-date=16 May 2012 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517064920/http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/islamists-block-first-mali-aid-convoy-to-timbuktu/ , archive-date=17 May 2012 after negotiations, the convoy was released on the following day. The group reportedly banned video games, Malian and Western music, bars, and football in Gao and ransacked alcohol-serving establishments in both Gao and Kidal. Islamist forces were also reported to have intervened against looters and ordered women to wear head scarves. The CNRDR's spokesman Amadou Konare claimed that "women and girls have been kidnapped and raped by the new occupants who are laying down their own law." The anti-slavery organization Temedt claims that ex-slaves were the first targeted for punishment by Islamist forces and that former masters have used the violence to recapture ex-slaves. On 29 July 2012, a couple was stoned to death by Islamists in

for having children outside of marriage. An official reported that many people left the town for Algeria following the incident. On 9 August, Islamist militants chopped off the hand of an alleged thief in the town of Ansongo, despite a crowd pleading with the militants for mercy.

Destruction of ancient monuments in Timbuktu

During the conflict, Islamists also Islamist destruction of Timbuktu heritage sites, damaged or destroyed a number of historical sites on the grounds that they said were idolatrous, particularly in Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On 4 May 2012, Ansar Dine members reportedly burned the tomb of a Sufi saint. In late June, Islamists attacked several more sites in Timbuktu with pickaxes and shovels. On 28 January 2013, as French-led Malian troops captured the airport of the World Heritage town of Timbuktu, the Ahmed Baba Institute, host of Timbuktu Manuscripts, priceless ancient manuscripts, was razed by fleeing Islamists.

Claims against the Malian Army and loyalists

The Tuaregs and Arabs who lived in Bamako and elsewhere in southern Mali were subjects of a rash of ethnic attacks by black Malians (as opposed to Mediterranean Arabs and racially mixed Tuaregs), despite many of them being hostile to Azawad separatism as well as the Islamists. In fact, a large part of them actually had only recently arrived to the government-held south, fleeing the violence in the north.{{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18057916 , title=Mali coup: Tuaregs tell of ethnic attacks , date=17 May 2012 , work=BBC News , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120830015611/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18057916 , archive-date=30 August 2012 An incident arose on 8 September 2012 when a group of Malian soldiers detained 17 unarmed Tablighi Jamaat, Tablighi preachers from Mauritania in Dogofry, Ségou, Dogofry, north-east of Diabaly, while en route to a religious conference in Bamako and executed all but one of them without reporting to their own command. The Malian government expressed its condolences for the event, which

considered a symptom of the disintegration of discipline and command in the Malian Army as a result of the 21 March Coup. On 19 January 2013, Human Rights Watch report killings and other human rights abuses committed by the Malian army in the central Malian town of Niono. Tuaregs and Arabs were especially targeted. On 23 January 2013, BBC reported claims by the International Federation of Human Rights that Malian Army soldiers had carried out summary executions against people suspected of being militant, and with bodies subsequently being hastily buried in makeshift graves and wells. Some victims were reportedly killed for not having identity documents or for their ethnicity. Reportedly, dozens of ethnic Tuaregs living in Bamako had their homes raided by government troops.

In popular culture

Mali earned the first win in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations football championship on 20 January 2013 with a 1–0 win over Niger. After scoring the only goal, Seydou Keita (footballer), Seydou Keita displayed a T-shirt with a peace sign on it. A number of musicians from Mali came together to record the song ''Mali-ko'' (meaning peace) and release a video titled ''Voices United for Mali-'Mali-ko in early 2013 about the ongoing conflict in the country. The collaboration includes many well-known Malian musicians, including Oumou Sangaré, Vieux Farka Touré, and Amadou & Mariam.

Ceasefire

A ceasefire was agreed upon on 20 February 2015 between the Malian government and the northern rebels. The terms of the truce state that both sides agreed to "tackle the causes of lasting tensions in the region" as the AFP news agency puts it. The BBC mentioned that "Mali's leaders have rejected autonomy, but are willing to consider devolved local powers."{{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31544438, title=Mali signs UN ceasefire to end conflict with northern rebels, work=BBC News, date=2015-02-20, access-date=2015-02-20

Notes

{{Notelist

References

{{Reflist, 30em

Bibliography

* {{cite book, last=Comolli , first=Virginia , title=Boko Haram: Nigeria's Islamist Insurgency , date=2015 , publisher=Oxford University Press , location=London

External links

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Background

Tuareg rebellion (January–April 2012)

Coup d'état

Continued offensive

Islamist–nationalist conflict (June–November 2012)

Battle of Gao and aftermath

Takeover of Douentza and Ménaka

Foreign intervention (January 2013)

MNLA realigns with the Malian Government

Battle of Konna and French intervention

In Aménas hostage crisis

Malian northward advance

Beginning of guerrilla phase

U.N. Peacekeeping Force

Chadian withdrawal

Peace deal

Insurgency and Operation Barkhane

2014–2015: Insurgents regroup, Islamic State taking part

2016–2017: Conflict spreading to neighboring countries, creation of JNIM

2018–2020: Conflict intensifies and French troops surge

2021–present: French withdrawal and Russian intervention

Casualties

2012

2013

2014

2017

2019

2020

2021

2022

Human rights concerns

Claims against separatists and Islamists

Claims against Islamists

Destruction of ancient monuments in Timbuktu

Claims against the Malian Army and loyalists

In popular culture

Ceasefire

Notes

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links