Things are getting interesting in Mali

Mali is, of course, a landlocked West African state which was colonized by France. The northern part, which includes the legendary city of Timbuktu (and was part of a series of great West African Islamic states), is dominated by Tuareg, Berbers, and the like. There's been a rebellion there for some time; they've now taken over most of the north and declared independence as Azawad. No country or external organization has recognized them.... yet.  Here's a quick article about the situation: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/10/all-hail-azawad/?hp.