A military coup in Mali has triggered a political, security and humanitarian crisis, allowing rebels to seize the country’s north and raising fears of instability across West Africa. Soldiers who ousted President Amadou Toumani Touré in March said his government had mishandled a Tuareg rebellion. The resulting power vacuum, however, enabled rebel forces to capture the major northern towns of Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu as the Malian army weakened.

The groups involved have different aims. The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) seeks an independent Tuareg homeland in northern Mali, while the Islamist group Ansar Dine wants to impose Islamic law while remaining 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 farther south were fleeing in fear of a rebel advance.

West African leaders, concerned about Mali’s possible collapse and the effects on the wider Sahel, demanded a return to civilian rule. After the junta failed to meet their deadline, the Economic Community of West African States imposed sanctions, including border closures and the freezing of 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 on a transition body and elections in which the junta would not participate.

The embargo quickly caused long lines at filling stations in Bamako. Landlocked Mali imports all its fuel, and shortages threatened transport, irrigation and electricity generation during the hot season, when low water levels limit hydropower. The frozen account also raised doubts about whether civil servants would be paid. A junta negotiator said the MNLA was open to talks, but an MNLA spokesman said the group had not had direct contact with the junta and would negotiate only with a recognized authority.

The fighting has compounded a regional food emergency caused by drought, with aid agencies warning that 13 million people need food assistance. The UN refugee agency said violence since January had displaced more than 200,000 people, around half of whom had fled Mali. UNESCO also warned that conflict could damage Timbuktu’s World Heritage architecture and disrupt efforts to preserve its hundreds of thousands of ancient manuscripts, a record of Africa’s literary and scientific history.