1. Presentation by Kelly Collier

2.  In early January 2012,Tuareg rebel groups began fighting against the Malian government for the independence of the northern region of Mali called Azawad and were successful  Then, The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) had announced they had taken control of the northern region by April 2012

3.  Tuareg rebels took part in a major attack against Mali’s own military forces to seize the northern town, Kidal, on February 6, 2012  Tuareg rebels heading the MNLA used violent tactics and ethnic cleansing within their path  The MNLA was initially supported by the Islamist group Ansar Dine  This would cause conflict later

4.  The MNLA seized border town, Tinzaouaten, between Mali and Algeria in February 8 of 2012 forcing Malian soldiers to retreat into Algeria  This allowed rebel groups to access more weapons and military vehicles  French eventually stepped in because Al Qaeda had long known to have a heavy hand in the northern region of Mali

5.  After the Malian government was ousted from Azawad, the Islamist group supporting the MNLA began imposing strict Sharia law, which is the religious law and moral code of Islam  The MNLA did not want this, they desired an autonomous land

6.  MNLA began fighting Ansar Dine and other Islamist groups after they imposed Sharia law  By July 2012, MNLA lost control of most of northern Mali’s cities to Islamist groups

7.  President Amadou Toumani Touré was overthrown by the National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy and State  Group was upset with how the Tuareg rebellion was being handled so they took matters in their own hands  Soon, three of Mali’s largest cities (Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu) were overrun by rebel forces  The MNLA accomplished what they set out for and finally proclaimed Azawad’s independence  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhUKTA_rxEc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhUKTA_rxEc

8.  Failed states would mean no longer being able to provide people with basic needs and services  Lawlessness would escalate  Kidnappings, bombings, arms trading, human trafficking  Pure lawlessness without any regulations  Will become a national problem, first surrounding states will have to step in and try and help rebuild but then if that does not work it will become an international problem.

9.  Mali government asked for foreign military intervention  In January 2013 the French military came over to fight Islamist groups  Other African Union shortly joined later  By February 8, the Malian military had regained control of the Islamist controlled territories  Tuareg groups continued fighting with Islamist groups but suspicions began to arise however that MNLA had attacked Malian government  In June 2013, peace treaty signed between government and Tuareg rebels

10.  Ibrahim Boubacar Keita became new president  He was Prime Minister of Mali from 1994-2000  President of the National Assembly of Mali from 2002- 2007  There are many different viewpoints about this election but most view this as move in the right direction, most see it as though they defeated they Islamist and rebel groups

11.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Mali_conflict  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuareg_rebellion_(2012)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibrahim_Boubacar_Keïta  http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/08/201381222306327330.h tml