Mali is reeling from attacks on army bases over the weekend that killed Defence Minister Sadio Camara, his wife, two children and an unclear number of other people.Intermittent explosions continued around Senou International Airport, south of the capital, Bamako, late on Monday, according to reports.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listAt least 16 people were injured in the coordinated offensives, which began on Saturday, by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and secessionist fighters from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).Videos showed scores of fighters on motorcycles riding with little resistance into cities across its north: Kidal, Gao, Sevare as well as Kati and Bamako.The FLA is fighting for self-determination. Here’s what we know about the movement seeking autonomy in northern Mali and what its latest move means for its future and for Mali: Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an attack on his home in the garrison city of Kati near Bamako on April 25, 2026 [File: Maxim Shipenkov/AP]What is Azawad?Azawad is a self-declared autonomous region in northern Mali proclaimed during the 2012 Malian civil war.The roots of the independence movement go back decades. Ethnic Tuaregs have fought for an independent state since the early 1900s. After French colonisers exited Mali – then French Sudan – in 1960, that demand intensified.Tuaregs and Arabs predominantly occupy northern Mali. They have closer ties with populations in Algeria, northern Niger and parts of Mauritania than with the Bambara people, who make up the majority of Mali’s population. Advertisement In 1962, Tuareg rebels began attacking government …
