Mali's Azawad movements unite in a bid to pressure the ruling junta

The three main armed movements that make up the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), merged on Wednesday in Kidal, a northeastern Malian town they have controlled militarily since 2013.

The group includes National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, the Arab Movement of Azawad and the High Council for the Unity of Azawad.

In concrete terms, the new leadership of the ex-rebels in the North are expecting to put more pressure to the Malian government.

A few months ago, the members of the new alliance suspended their participation in the decision-making bodies of the Algiers peace agreement, accusing the Malian state of backing out of the agreement.

The Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), a predominantly Tuareg alliance that fought the state for years before signing the peace deal in Algiers in 2015,  blamed the ruling military junta for foot-dragging.

The new movement is already planning, with other armed groups involved in the peace process, to launch a vast operation to secure the populations of northern Mali.