Northern Mali Conflict

In 2012, the Malian Army was driven out of the Azawad region by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) Tuareg rebel group with Islamic Jihadist "allies" like the Ansar Dine. However clashes between the "allies" erupted in the Azawad region while the government is distracted by a coup. The Malian government intervened allying itself with the MNLA against the Jihadist factions. Weakening the Jihidists even more was the French intervention. Peace talks occurred, until the deal was broken when government troops apparently opened fire on protesters. Small scale violence still continues despite ceasefire agreements with the Jihadists and the Tuaregs. This is not the only Tuareg revolt, several Tuareg revolts occurred in the 2000s, 1990s, and the 1960s. The Tuaregs even revolted against the French Colonial government in 1917.