The Tuareg Insurgency Is Growing

Tuaregs Seized Regional Zeitgeist in Successful Coup -- Defense News

The revival of the Tuareg insurgence in Africa is one of the most significant consequences of the Libyan civil war and the subsequent destabilization of Africa’s Sahel region provoked by the fall of the Libyan government.

On April 6, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), the new political and military group fronting the Tuareg insurgence, declared the independence of the Azawad, the region in northern Mali that ethnic Tuaregs consider their homeland, after they seized Kidal, Timbuktu and Gao, the three most important cities in north Mali.

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My Comment: The Tuareg rebel movement has the weapons, structure, and political will to assert themselves in their part of Africa. And while I do not see them pushing for autonomy and/or independence from a powerful country like Algeria, they are certainly taking the advantage of asserting their independence from weaker countries like Mali and Niger.

Why The Tuareg Rebels Are A Threat To The Stability Of Mali

Tuareg Rebels Threaten Unstable Mali -- Voice of America

Tuareg rebels continue to push south in Mali, as mutinous soldiers struggle to maintain control of the capital two days after they seized power in a coup that has created more problems than it solved.

Mali's future looks more uncertain than ever.

President Amadou Toumane Toure has not been seen or heard from publicly since Thursday. Rumors are flying of a countercoup in the works. Northern strongholds are bracing for a fight as ethnic Tuareg separatists push South.

Bamako residents say mutineering soldiers have looted the presidential palace, gas stations and shops.

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Update: Who are the Tuareg and how do they fit into the coup in Mali? -- L.A. Times

My Comment: Like much of Africa .... the boundaries were done with little (if any) consideration of the regions tribal/ethnic/religious makeup. For the Tuareg .... this lack of recognition has resulted in them pursuing their own goals of an independent country. Unfortunately for them .... the territory that they are claiming is territory that the countries in the region are not willing to give up .... hence the wars and conflicts.