The rebel organization National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad (MNLA) in Mali, which consists of the Tuareg nomadic tribes, declared today the "independence of the Azawad". Ataher said:
"Today we solemnly declare the independence of Azawad." He added that the rebels will respect the borders with other countries. The MNLA announced that it suspended all military operations at midnight as a result of the successful conquest of the area it calls Azawad, according to AFP. "We fully accept the role and responsibility in securing this territory. We have finished a very important struggle, the struggle for liberation, and now our greatest task begins," said Ag Ataher. And while the Tuareg declared the success of the multi-decade struggle for the "liberation of their homeland", their former fundamentalist comrades who became their rivals, they began to introduce Sharia law in parts of northern Mali.
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