Mali faces a deepening political, security and humanitarian crisis after soldiers overthrew President Amadou Toumani Touré in late March, saying his government had mishandled a Tuareg rebellion in the north. The coup created a power vacuum that allowed the rebels and allied Islamist fighters to rapidly seize the major northern towns of Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu, raising fears that the country could be divided and that instability could spread across the Sahel.

The armed groups have different goals. The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) seeks independence for a Tuareg state in northern Mali. Ansar Dine, an Islamist group linked to al-Qaeda’s North African branch, wants Mali to remain united under Islamic law. 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 in the central town of Mopti were fleeing in anticipation of a possible advance south.

West African leaders, concerned both about Mali’s collapse and instability in their own countries, have demanded a return to civilian rule. After the junta missed a 72-hour deadline, the Economic Community of West African States imposed sanctions, closing borders and freezing 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 while consulting political groups about a transition and elections in which the military would not participate.

The embargo has immediate consequences for landlocked Mali, which imports all its fuel. Long lines formed at petrol stations as residents stocked up, with shortages threatening irrigation, electricity generation and other essential activities. A junta negotiator said the MNLA was open to talks, but a rebel spokesman said the group had no direct contact with the junta and would negotiate only with a recognized authority.

The fighting has also endangered Timbuktu’s cultural heritage. UNESCO called for protection of its distinctive mud-and-wood mosques and cemeteries, as well as its ancient manuscripts documenting centuries of scholarship in religion, science, mathematics and history. The takeover could disrupt preservation work and access to the collections.

The UN refugee agency said violence since January had displaced more than 200,000 people, including about 100,000 who fled Mali. The conflict has worsened a wider drought-related emergency in which aid agencies say 13 million people across Mali and neighboring countries need food assistance. Regional leaders face the intertwined challenges of restoring constitutional government, responding to the northern rebellion and securing international support for the crisis.