A military coup in Mali has deepened a crisis that threatens to divide the country, destabilize West Africa and damage the cultural heritage of Timbuktu. Soldiers ousted President Amadou Toumani Touré in March, saying his government had mishandled a Tuareg rebellion in the north. The resulting power vacuum allowed rebels to advance rapidly, taking the major northern towns of Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu as the Malian army weakened.

The rebel forces have different goals. The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) seeks an independent state in the northern Tuareg homeland, while the Islamist group Ansar Dine wants to impose Islamic law while keeping the territory within Mali. Residents reported that Islamist fighters ransacked bars, banned alcohol and Western music, and told people in Timbuktu to live according to Islamic law. Civilians fled areas at risk of further advances. According to the UN refugee agency, violence since January had displaced more than 200,000 people, including about 100,000 who left Mali.

West African leaders condemned the coup and demanded a return to civilian rule. After the junta missed a deadline, the Economic Community of West African States imposed sanctions, including a border closure and a freeze on Mali’s account at the regional central bank; the African Union also imposed sanctions. The measures raised fears of severe shortages in landlocked Mali, which depends on fuel trucked in from neighboring countries. Long lines formed at petrol stations as residents and farmers bought fuel for transport and irrigation. Power supplies and the payment of public-sector salaries were also at risk.

Junta leader Capt. Amadou Sanogo said the military would consult political groups about a transition body to organize democratic elections, but said the army would not immediately leave power. A former minister said the junta and the MNLA were open to talks, although an MNLA spokesman denied direct contact and said the rebels would negotiate only with a recognized authority. Regional leaders faced the difficult goals of restoring constitutional government and addressing the loss of the north, amid Malian resentment of outside interference.

The fighting also threatened Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its mud-and-wood mosques and cemeteries. The city is home to hundreds of thousands of ancient manuscripts documenting Islamic scholarship, science, mathematics and history. UNESCO called for the protection of the city’s heritage, while observers feared the takeover could disrupt preservation and access to the manuscripts. The conflict compounded a wider humanitarian emergency following drought, with aid agencies warning that 13 million people in Mali and neighboring countries needed food assistance.