Fighters from Permanent Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA) sit together as they secure the perimeter during a meeting of Tuareg rebels army leaders in Tinzaouaten, Northern Mali November 27, 2024 [File: Abdolah Ag Mohamed/Reuters] Mali’s Tuareg rebels, involved in a continuing uprising, including the assassination of the country’s defence minister, have said they want to drive the military government’s Russian backers out of the country. Moh

Moctar, a Malian refugee who escaped violence sits in his tent in the village of Dounkara, Mauritania (Shola Lawal/Al Jazeera) Note: Al Jazeera is withholding some details of interviewees, such as surnames, to protect their identities. Douankara, Mauritania – One evening in late March, 75-year-old Moctar gathered with his family and friends in Sondaje, a village in northern Mali, to plan their escape. For months, homes had been raided by rival gun-toting warring groups who ac