Conflict coverage · Central Sahel

Jihadist takeover of the north

Jun – Jul 2012Key eventEssentialGao · Timbuktu · Kidal

MilitaryTerritorial changeNorthern Mali / Azawad

Ansar Dine, AQIM and MUJAO turn on and expel the MNLA from Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal, imposing their rule on the northern cities — destroying shrines in Timbuktu and applying hudud punishments.

Why it mattersThe separatist rebellion and the jihadist project were connected but never identical: within three months of "Azawad", the jihadists owned the north and the separatists were in exile. Conflating the two remains the most common analytical error about Mali.

Confidence: HighSources: Established historical recordMethodology Corrections

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Related structure

2 records that this event names, or that name it. Every one is an explicit reference in a published record — nothing here is inferred from subject matter.

Participants

Organisations this event records, with the role and confidence it states.

Ansar Dine · atlasParticipanthigh confidence
MUJAO · atlasParticipanthigh confidence

Where this fits

This is one entry in the Sahel timeline. The full Key Events surface carries every dated turning point with its filters and its essential subset, and this event in place shows what came before and after it. How Vigil grades, dates and sources its claims is set out in the methodology.