It was led by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad ( MNLA ) and was part of a series of insurgencies by traditionally nomadic Tuaregs which date back at least to 1916 .

The MNLA was formed Coming_to_be by former insurgents and a significant number of heavily armed Tuaregs who fought in the Libyan Civil War .

The Islamist group Ansar Dine , too , began Process_start fighting Hostile_encounter the government in later stages of the conflict Hostile_encounter , claiming Statement control Control of vast swathes of territory , albeit disputed Quarreling by the MNLA .

On 5 April , after the capture Conquering of Douentza , the MNLA said Communication that it had accomplished Achieve its goals and called Name_conferral off its offensive .

On 27 June , Islamists from the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa ( MOJWA ) clashed Hostile_encounter with the MNLA in the Battle of Gao , wounding Bodily_harm MNLA secretary-general Bilal Ag Acherif and taking Creating control of the city .

On 27 June , Islamists from the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa ( MOJWA ) clashed Hostile_encounter with the MNLA in the Battle of Gao , wounding Bodily_harm MNLA secretary-general Bilal Ag Acherif and taking Creating control of the city .

By 17 July , MOJWA and Ansar Dine had pushed Self_motion the MNLA out of all the major cities .

On 14 February 2013 the MNLA renounced Statement their claim Statement of independence for Azawad and asked Request the Malian government to start Process_start negotiations Communication on its future status .

The Internal conflict Hostile_encounter in Azawad has been a two-year-long insurgency Military_operation in Northern Mali between a pro-independence ultra Nationalist group , the MNLA and a coalition of Islamists terror groups .

Both the Islamists and MNLA formed Coming_to_be an alliance in combatting Hostile_encounter the Malian government .

An internal conflict Hostile_encounter sprung up over the imposing of sharia law in the new state and the MNLA distancing itself from the coalition to a democratic state .

Islamists gained Getting popularity amongst anti-Tuareg tribes that helped Assistance it overthrow MNLA authority in Gao .

Both sides clashed Hostile_encounter repeatedly leading to the Battle of Gao where the MNLA were driven Self_motion from the North 's two main cities , Gao and Timbuktu .

The MNLA soon lost Earnings_and_losses all of its strongholds in the North in a matter of months .

The MNLA supported Supporting the French and Chadian forces in military operations against Islamists sanctuaries in the mountains .

The MNLA recaptured Conquering several important towns in the Kidal Region but refused Agree_or_refuse_to_act to dis-arm or hand Giving them over to the Malian government .

A series of Islamists sponsored Supply terror attacks Attack plagued MNLA forces for siding with the French .

Checkpoints and bases were targeted Aiming with suicide bombings Killing that targeted Aiming MNLA members .

A peace deal was reached Arriving with the Malian army in June that let Preventing_or_letting the army transverse freely in MNLA occupied zones that were under Malian jurisdiction .

The MNLA responded Response by harassing and murdering Killing Fulani civilians who create Creating a majority of Islamists rebels .

The MNLA has since been battling Hostile_encounter Islamists .

The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad ( MNLA ) , an organization fighting Hostile_encounter to make this area of Mali an independent homeland for the Tuareg people , had taken control Control of the region by April 2012 .

On 5 April 2012 , after the capture Conquering of Douentza , the MNLA said Telling that it had accomplished Achieve its goals and called Name_conferral off its offensive Attack .

The MNLA were initially backed by the Islamist group Ansar Dine .

The MNLA and Islamists struggled Hostile_encounter to reconcile their conflicting Quarreling visions for an intended new state .

Afterwards , the MNLA began Process_start fighting Hostile_encounter against Ansar Dine and other Islamist groups , including Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa ( MOJWA/MUJAO ) , a splinter group of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb .

By 17 July 2012 , the MNLA had lost Earnings_and_losses control Control of most of northern Mali 's cities to the Islamists .

Tuareg separatists have continued to fight Hostile_encounter the Islamists as well , although the MNLA has also been accused Judgment_communication of carrying out attacks Attack against the Malian military .