Mali faces a deepening political, security and humanitarian crisis after a military coup ousted President Amadou Toumani Touré in late March. The soldiers who seized power said the government had mishandled a Tuareg rebellion in the north, but the resulting power vacuum allowed rebel forces to advance rapidly. They captured the major northern towns of Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu, raising fears that the country could be divided.

The rebel groups have different aims. The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) seeks an independent Tuareg state in northern Mali, while Ansar Dine, an Islamist group linked to al-Qaeda’s North African branch, wants to impose Islamic law while keeping the territory part of Mali. 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 were fleeing the central town of Mopti for fear that the fighting would spread south.

The takeover also threatens Timbuktu’s cultural heritage. UNESCO called on all parties to protect the World Heritage Site, known for its distinctive mud-and-wood mosques and its historic role as a center of Islamic learning. The city holds hundreds of thousands of ancient manuscripts documenting literature, science, mathematics and history. Fighting could disrupt preservation work and restrict access to the collections.

West African leaders, concerned about instability spreading across the Sahel, demanded that the junta restore civilian rule. After their 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 army would remain in power while consulting political groups about a transition and democratic elections in which the military would not participate.

The embargo quickly affected daily life. Mali imports all its fuel by road, and long lines formed at filling stations as residents stocked up. Shortages could disrupt transport, irrigation and electricity generation during the hot season, when low water levels limit hydropower. The frozen account also raised doubts about the government’s ability to pay civil servants.

The prospects for negotiations remained uncertain: a representative of the junta 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 conflict has compounded an existing food emergency caused by drought. According to the UN refugee agency, violence since January had displaced more than 200,000 people, about half of them across Mali’s borders, while aid agencies warned that 13 million people in the wider region needed food assistance.