Jihadist takeover of the north — Key Events — Sahel

What happened

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.

The 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: High

WhenJun – Jul 2012

WhereGao · Timbuktu · Kidal

KindMilitary · Territorial change

ArenaNorthern Mali / Azawad

Confidence: High Sources: Established historical record Methodology Corrections

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Connected records

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

Participants2

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

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.