Mali faces a deepening political, security and humanitarian crisis after soldiers overthrew President Amadou Toumani Touré in late March, accusing his government of mishandling a Tuareg rebellion in the north. The coup reversed two decades of democracy and created a power vacuum that allowed rebels to seize the northern towns of Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu. The advances have raised fears that Mali could be divided and that instability could spread across the Sahel.

The forces in the north include the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), which seeks an independent Tuareg homeland, and Ansar Dine, an Islamist group linked to North African al-Qaeda that 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 under Islamic law. Civilians were fleeing areas threatened by further advances. Since January, the violence had uprooted more than 200,000 people, including about 100,000 who fled Mali, according to the UN refugee agency.

West African leaders and the African Union condemned the coup and imposed sanctions to press the junta to restore civilian rule. The measures included border closures and the freezing of Mali’s account at the regional central bank. Junta leader Captain Amadou Sanogo said the army would not immediately leave power but promised consultations on a transition body to organize democratic elections. Regional leaders also faced the challenge of encouraging a response to the rebellion, although some Malians resented interference by neighboring countries. An MNLA spokesman said the movement did not recognize Sanogo and would negotiate only with an authority it considered legitimate.

The sanctions quickly threatened daily life in landlocked Mali, which relies on fuel trucked in from its coastal neighbors. Long lines formed at petrol stations as residents stocked up for vehicles, farms and generators. Fuel shortages could disrupt irrigation and electricity during the hot season, when low water levels limit hydropower. The frozen account also raised concerns about the payment of civil servants.

The capture of Timbuktu brought warnings about the safety of its World Heritage sites and manuscripts. UNESCO called for protection of the city’s distinctive mud-and-wood architecture, including its historic mosques and cemeteries. Timbuktu is also home to hundreds of thousands of ancient manuscripts documenting Islamic scholarship, science, mathematics and history; the fighting could interrupt preservation work and restrict access to the collections.

The conflict has compounded a wider food emergency: aid agencies warned that 13 million people in Mali and neighboring countries needed food assistance after drought. Regional leaders feared that Mali’s collapse would add to instability across West Africa and called for a stronger response to restore constitutional government and address the northern rebellion.