The conflict in Mali is not a recent one and its resolution will
not be forthcoming. This vast, arid, African country is a
classic example of how ethnic, geopolitical, economic and global
influences intersect within a conflict that is both complex and
protracted. The armed conflict in Mali, which started in the
1990’s, is similar to many that have plagued post colonial
Africa; a large ethnic group, the Tuareg nomads in this case,
demanding independence from the central government. The largest
Tuareg rebel group in Mali, called The National Movement for
Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), is a secular group which seeks
independence for a homeland called Azawad. It represents the
majority of the Berber speaking Tuareg of Mali who have
expressed demands for land and cultural rights since the
country’s independence in 1960. In 2007, despite central
government attempts at military and negotiated solutions, the
MNLA escalated its military operations against the government
and allied itself later with two other Islamist mi