Reports of the recent events in Mali describe a country being overrun
by Islamists. The recent conflict began a year ago in January 2012, when the
people living in the north of Mali, the Tuaregs, succeeded in defeating the
Malian army in a number of battles for independence. The victories culminated
in the Tuaregs, led by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
(MNLA), declaring the independence of Azawad, their land in the north of Mali.
Around the same time, the Malian military ejected President Touré in a coup in
response to his mismanagement of the conflict.
