The 2012 rebellion begins — Key Events — Sahel

What happened

The MNLA, alongside jihadist fighters of Ansar Dine, attacks army garrisons across the north — including Aguelhok, where captured soldiers are massacred. The army, outgunned and under-supplied, collapses northward.

The fourth Tuareg rebellion since independence, but the first with Libyan-grade weaponry and a jihadist partner riding alongside — a partnership of convenience whose breakup would define the next phase.

Confidence: High

When17 Jan 2012

WhereNorthern Mali

KindMilitary · Territorial change

ArenaNorthern Mali / Azawad

Confidence: High Sources: Established historical record Methodology Corrections

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Connected records

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

Participants1

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

MNLA · 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.