Mali in turmoil

Following a military coup in March 2012, Mali has been struggling with armed groups taking control of the northern regions. Tuareg nationalists and Islamist extremists (some linked with al-Qaeda) occupied the cities of Tombouctou, Kidal and Gao, where they have instituted strict Sharia law.

Several incidents in areas under extremists control have provoked censure from the international community. In June, three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, mausoleums in Timbuktu, were destroyed, and in July a couple was stoned to death for adultery.

Mali’s interim government has not been successful at removing the rebels from the cities, and hundreds of thousands of refugees are fleeing south to Bamako or over the borders into Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso. The region’s drought is adding to problems.