Reports now indicate that thousands of armed Tuareg tribesmen who previously served in Gadhafi's military have returned home to Mali. The influx of this large number of well-armed and well-trained fighters, led by a former Libyan army colonel, has re-energized the long-simmering Tuareg insurgency against the Malian government. These Tuareg insurgents have formed a new group, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA). In mid-January, they began a military campaign to free three northern regions of Mali from Bamako's control.
I'd guess that Syria is experiencing the effects of violence in Iraq rippling back to Syria. Funneling jihadis through Syria and generating a wave of Iraqi refugees into Syria had to have shaken the foundation of Assad's regime. Syria is stronger than Mali, so it took longer to shake Syria.
I'd be interested to find out if my suspicions are right.
UPDATE: The rebels are making gains right now:
Rebels combining veteran Tuareg insurgents and returnees from Libya's war last year are fighting to create an independent state in north Mali. They have gained ground in a three-pronged advance, scattering thousands across Mali's desert north and beyond its borders, but Kidal is the most significant town yet to be threatened.
I'd think that NATO owes Mali some assistance to defeat these byproducts of the Libya War.
UPDATE: We do have a war on terror angle there, after all.
