Editing Azawad (section)

===Under Malian rule===
[[File:Touaregs at the Festival au Desert near Timbuktu, Mali 2012.jpg|thumb|left|[[Tuareg people|Tuaregs]] at the January 2012 [[Festival au Désert]] in [[Timbuktu]], just before the [[National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad|MNLA]] launched the [[Tuareg rebellion (2012)|Azawadi rebellion]] later in the same month]]

French Sudan became the autonomous state of Mali within the [[French Community]] in 1958, and Mali became independent from France in 1960. Four major Tuareg rebellions took place against Malian rule: the [[First Tuareg Rebellion]] (1962–64), the [[Tuareg Rebellion (1990–1995)|rebellion of 1990–1995]], the [[Tuareg rebellion (2007–2009)|rebellion of 2007–2009]], and a [[Tuareg rebellion (2012)|2012 rebellion]].

In the early twenty-first century, the region became notorious for banditry and drug smuggling.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.la-croix.com/Actualite/S-informer/France/Une-zone-immense-et-incontrolable-aux-confins-du-Sahara-_NG_-2010-09-20-604494|title=Une zone immense et incontrôlable aux confins du Sahara|language=fr|newspaper=La Croix|date=20 September 2010|access-date=9 June 2012}}</ref> The area has been reported to contain great potential mineral wealth, including petroleum and uranium.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jmpmali.com/html/fourpagefive.html|title=Le secteur minier du Mali, un potentiel riche mais inexploité|year=2011|publisher=Les Journées Minières et Pétrolières du Mali|access-date=3 April 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121231153626/http://www.jmpmali.com/html/fourpagefive.html|archive-date=31 December 2012}}</ref>