- Mali is in the grip of an unprecedented political crisis, one of the most serious since it gained independence from France in 1960
- In April 2012, rebel groups, some with links to al-Qaeda, took control of the large areas of the north – one of the poorest in the world
- The army had seized power the previous month, accusing the government of being soft on the rebels. But while the military was distracted, the rebels made rapid advances
- Civil rule returned to the south with the speaker of parliament sworn in as interim president under a deal brokered by the West African regional bloc Ecowas, but political uncertainty remains
Mali crisis explained
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