MALI'S LONG BATTLE WITH TERRORISM AND REBELLION
In 2012, a major rebellion against Mali's government heralded the rise of terrorism across the country.
It
was led by the nomadic Tuareg rebels and the National Movement for the
Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), a military organisation partly made up of
former Libyan soldiers.
The MNLA took control of the north and declared independence for the unrecognised state of Azawad.
But
Islamist groups including Ansar Dine and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic
Maghreb (AQIM), who helped MNLA defeat the government, turned on the
indigenous Tuareg and seized the north with the goal of implementing
sharia law in Mali.
The French army launched Opération Serval in January 2013 and recaptured most of the north a month later.
Islamists continued to operate in the north and began spreading into central and southern areas at the start of this year.
On 6 March, extremists shot dead five people, including two Europeans, in a restaurant in the country's capital Bamako.
The dead bodies were strewn outside a popular nightclub in the city after the attack which took place overnight.
The
Foreign Office has advised against all travel to northern parts of
Mali, where Islamist groups are said to operate, and all but essential
travel to southern areas including Bamako.
It
warns there is a 'high threat of terrorism and kidnap' in areas north
of Mopti but 'the threat exists throughout the country'.
The FCO warning adds: 'Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.'
It
adds the situation in the country remains unstable and travellers
should take several days worth of food and water 'in case disturbances
take place'.
The Foreign Office has advised against
all travel to northern parts of Mali, where Islamist groups are said to
operate, and all but essential travel to southern areas including
Bamako
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