Mali faces a political, security and humanitarian crisis after soldiers overthrew President Amadou Toumani Touré in a March coup. The junta said it acted because the government had mishandled a Tuareg rebellion in the north, but the power vacuum allowed rebels to advance rapidly and capture the major towns of Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu.

The northern forces have different aims. The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) seeks an independent Tuareg homeland, while the Islamist group Ansar Dine wants to impose Islamic law within Mali. Residents reported that Islamist fighters had ransacked bars, banned Western music from local radio and told people in Timbuktu to live under Islamic law. Some civilians in the central town of Mopti were fleeing in fear of a further advance.

West African leaders, concerned that Mali’s collapse could destabilize the wider Sahel, have pressed the junta to restore civilian rule. After a deadline passed, the regional bloc ECOWAS 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 but promised consultations to establish a transition body and organize democratic elections in which the military would not participate.

The sanctions have immediate consequences for landlocked Mali, which imports all its fuel. Long lines formed at filling stations as people stocked up for vehicles, farm irrigation and electricity generators. Fuel shortages could disrupt agriculture and worsen power supplies during the hot season, when low water levels limit hydropower. The bank freeze also raised questions about whether civil servants would be paid.

The conflict has displaced more than 200,000 people since January, including around 100,000 who fled Mali, according to the UN refugee agency. It has also intensified a regional food crisis: aid agencies say 13 million people need food assistance following drought. UNESCO warned that fighting threatens Timbuktu’s World Heritage architecture, including its historic mosques and cemeteries, as well as efforts to preserve and provide access to hundreds of thousands of ancient manuscripts.

The prospects for negotiations remained uncertain. A representative of the junta said the MNLA was willing to discuss the country’s future, but an MNLA spokesman said it had no direct contact with the junta and would negotiate only with a recognized authority.