Mali faces a deepening 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. Instead, the power vacuum allowed rebels to advance rapidly and seize the major northern towns of Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu, raising fears that the country could split.

The armed groups have different aims. The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) seeks an independent Tuareg state in northern Mali, 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 follow Islamic law. Some civilians were fleeing Mopti in central Mali for fear of a further advance.

West African leaders, concerned that Mali’s collapse could destabilize the wider Sahel, have demanded a return to civilian rule. After the junta missed a deadline, 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 leadership would not participate.

The embargo threatens severe hardship in landlocked Mali, which imports all its fuel by road. Long queues formed at petrol stations as residents and businesses stocked up. Farmers feared running out of diesel for irrigation, and shortages could also disrupt electricity generation during the hot season, when low water levels limit hydropower. The frozen bank account raised questions about whether civil servants could be paid.

The conflict has displaced more than 200,000 people since January, including about 100,000 who fled Mali, according to the UN refugee agency. It has also compounded a regional food crisis: aid agencies warn that 13 million people need 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 hundreds of thousands of ancient manuscripts. The city’s collections document centuries of African literary and scientific scholarship. The UN Security Council was due to hold an emergency meeting as regional leaders sought international support to restore constitutional order and address the rebellion.