Background
{{Further, History of Mali In the early 1990s Tuareg people, Tuareg and Arab nomads formed the People's Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, 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, 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 theTuareg rebellion (January–April 2012)
{{further, Tuareg rebellion (2012) The first attacks of the rebellion took place in Ménaka, a small town in far eastern Mali, on 16 and 17 January 2012. On 17 January, attacks in Aguelhok 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 presidentCoup d'état
{{main, 2012 Malian coup d'état On 21 March 2012, soldiers dissatisfied with the course of the conflict attacked Defense MinisterContinued 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's School of Oriental and African Studies, 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 [ag Aghaly] 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 to describe it as "a spectacular own-goal". On 6 April 2012, stating that it had secured all of its desired territory, the MNLA Azawadi declaration of independence, declared independence from Mali. However, the declaration was rejected as invalid by the African Union and the European Union.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 presidentBattle of Gao and aftermath
{{further, Battle of Gao 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 people, Songhay and Fula people, 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 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 Ménaka, 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 Douentza, which had previously been held by a Songhai people, 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 Ménaka, 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"Foreign intervention (January 2013)
{{Main, Operation Serval, African-led International Support Mission to Mali, EUTM Mali {{See also, Timeline of the Northern Mali conflict 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 United Nations Security Council 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,{{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 United Nations Security Council Resolution 2071, 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, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2071, UN Security Council Resolution 2071 does not authorize the deployment of force. However, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2085, UN Security Council Resolution 2085, passed on 20 December 2012, "authorizes the deployment of an African-led International Support Mission to Mali, 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 Al Jazeera to have captured 12 Malian government troops near the town of Konna. On the same day, Radio France Internationale, RFI reports that governmental troops fired warning shots and slightly progressed from Konna toward Douentza.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 2013Battle of Konna and French intervention
{{further, Battle of Konna On 10 January 2013, Islamist forces captured the strategic town of Konna, 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 Aérospatiale Gazelle, 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 French Air Force, Armée de l'Air 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,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 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 2013Malian 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 Konna 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. Douentza 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 Timbuktu 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 Timbuktu 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, Ménaka. 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,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. 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 Timbuktu, 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, Algerian television informed thatU.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 ambush2018–2020: 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 attacks2012
2012 fatalities – 133.{{verify source, date=October 20132013
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,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 in2021
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 Colonel2022
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 Aguelhok 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, whichIn 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=2015-02-20Notes
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* {{cite book, last=Comolli , first=Virginia , title=Boko Haram: Nigeria's Islamist Insurgency , date=2015 , publisher=Oxford University Press , location=LondonFurther reading
External links
{{commons category, Mali War