Religious Liberty Monitoring: MALI: Christians flee as jihadists seize control of north

a representative from the Tibu
 ethnic group shakes hands with
 a Tuareg woman in Sabha 

Religious Liberty Monitoring: MALI: Christians flee as jihadists seize control of north: "What started out as a violent, destructive and bloody Tuareg rebellion in pursuit of an independent Tuareg homeland has ended in Islamic conquest and the spectre of al Qaeda.

On Thursday 5 April, after three months of fighting, the main ethnic Tuareg rebel group -- the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad (NMLA) -- announced a ceasefire. Having seized the capitals of the three main northern provinces in three days -- Kidal, on 30 March; Gao, on 31 March; and Timbuktu, on 1 April (see map) -- the NMLA declared it had achieved its military goal.
See: Tuareg rebels in Mali declare cease-fire, end of military operations
By Associated Press, Published: April 5


Read more...