In news from Africa, a Tuareg rebel group has declared independence from Mali after it captured several key northern towns and cities, including Timbuktu, following last month’s coup. Naming their state “Azawad,” the Tuaregs are now calling for international recognition. They have nurtured the dream of secession since Mali’s own independence from France in 1960. Following last month’s coup, Mali is now roughly divided into a Tuareg-controlled north and junta-controlled south. Humanitarian groups have warned Mali is on the brink of catastrophe. Mossa Ag Attaher is a spokesperson for the Tuareg group, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad.

Mossa Ag Attaher: “We are a liberation movement, and we support the principles and values of democracy. We distance ourselves completely from any Islamist movement and their fight for religious law. So our aim is liberation, which arrived today with the proclamation of independence. So there is no possible comparison between the MNLA and the Islamist movements.”