Africa: Civil Strife in Mali TR Oct12

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

• The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), an ethnic Tuareg group, began a rebellion in northern Mali in January 2012. Within three months, Tuareg and Islamist groups had seized control of the entire northern half of the country.
• The Malian government, under fire for its inability to quench the rebellion, suffered a coup d’état in late March. A military commission headed by Army Captain Sanogo took charge of the country.
• After seizing the north, rebel groups fell out along ideological lines, with the pro-northern independence MNLA being defeated by pro-Sharia law groups, namely Ansar Dine and the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO).
• Sanogo agreed to cede power to a civilian interim government due to international pressure, but effectively continued to rule the country.
• Northern residents have been severely impacted by these events, with around half a million displaced and the remainder forced to live under Sharia law.
• International efforts to staunch the rebellion and return true civilian rule have been slow and predominantly ineffective.