The three main armed movements that comprise the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) merged on Wednesday in Kidal, a town in northeastern Mali that they have militarily controlled since 2013.
The group includes the Azawad National Liberation Movement, the Arab Movement of Azawad, and the Azawad High Council for Unity.
In concrete terms, the new leadership of the Northern ex-rebels expects to increase pressure on the Malian government.
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Members of the new alliance suspended their participation in the Algiers peace agreement’s decision-making bodies a few months ago, accusing the Malian state of abandoning the agreement.
The Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), a primarily Tuareg alliance that fought the state for years before signing the Algiers peace treaty in 2015, blamed the ruling military junta for the delay.
The new movement is already planning, in collaboration with other armed groups involved in the peace process, to launch a massive operation to protect the people of northern Mali.
