Mali faces a political, security and humanitarian crisis after a military coup and a rapid rebel advance in the north. Soldiers overthrew President Amadou Toumani Touré in March, saying his government had mishandled an insurgency led by Tuareg rebels. The coup created a power vacuum that allowed the rebels and allied Islamist fighters to seize the major northern towns of Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu. The Malian army has struggled to respond, raising fears that the country could be divided.

The armed groups have different aims. The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) seeks independence for a northern Tuareg state called Azawad. Ansar Dine, an Islamist group linked to al-Qaeda’s North African branch, wants Mali to remain united under Islamic law. Residents reported that Islamist fighters had ransacked bars, banned Western music on local radio and told people in Timbuktu to follow Islamic law. Some civilians farther south fled the town of Mopti, fearing an advance.

West African leaders, concerned about instability spreading across the Sahel, demanded that the junta restore civilian rule. After its deadline expired, the Economic Community of West African States imposed sanctions, including border closures and a freeze on Mali’s account at the regional central bank. The African Union also imposed sanctions. Junta leader Capt. Amadou Sanogo said the military would remain in power but promised consultations on a transition body and eventual elections in which the junta would not participate. A purported junta negotiator said the MNLA was open to talks, but an MNLA spokesman denied direct contact and said the group would negotiate only with a recognized authority.

The embargo threatens daily life in landlocked Mali, which imports all its fuel. Long lines formed at petrol stations as residents stocked up, including farmers who need diesel generators for irrigation. Fuel shortages could also disrupt electricity during the hot season, when low water levels limit hydropower, while the frozen bank account raised doubts about the payment of civil servants.

UNESCO warned that fighting could damage Timbuktu’s World Heritage sites, including its distinctive mud-and-wood mosques and cemeteries. The city also holds hundreds of thousands of historic manuscripts documenting Africa’s literary and scientific heritage; the takeover could disrupt preservation work and access to the collections.

The conflict has deepened an existing regional food emergency. According to the UN refugee agency, violence since January has uprooted more than 200,000 people, about half of whom have fled Mali. Aid agencies say drought has left 13 million people across Mali and neighboring countries in need of food assistance.