A new Qaeda-affiliated faction, the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), is attempting to re-unify the fragmented jihadist insurgency in Mali's desert north.
Installation of an interim authority in Timbuktu under a peace deal with Tuareg rebels in Mali's desert north was blocked as hardline factions erected street barricades.
With the Tuareg movement divided on whether to accept an autonomy offer from Mali's government, jihadist insurgents seek to rebuild an alliance with the intransigent factions.
French special forces carried out a raid in northern Mali targeting the jihadist group al-Murabitoon—but a pro-government Arab militia said four of its fighters were killed.
An Ansar Dine militant was turned over to the International Criminal Court, accused of destruction of religious monuments and other war crimes committed in Timbuktu.
Fighting erupted between Tuareg militias in northern Mali, breaking the ceasefire and threatening peace talks scheduled to resume this week in neighboring Niger.
Mali's government is boasting a deal with Tuareg leaders granting autonomy to the northern homeland of Azawad—but the biggest rebel factions are holding out for more power.
UN "peacekeepers" have been drawn into fighting between Tuareg separatist rebels and pro-government paramilitaries as northern Mali remains divided.
France expands military operations across the Sahel to chase down jihadist insurgents, as Mali opens peace talks with Tuareg separatists that have seized much of the country.
Libya's parliament moved to a Tripoli hotel after armed demonstrators stormed the building, while a key oil-field remains under occupation by Tuareg protesters.
The Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) was blamed for a massacre of some 30 Tuaregs in a road ambush near the desert city of Gao in northern Mali.
Tuareg rebels of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) announced that they are ending their ceasefire with the Malian government following new clashes.
