Separatists Seize Kidal in Mali's Second Azawad and Al-Qaeda Offensive

Since the April offensive in Mali, Azawad separatist forces operating alongside Al-Qaeda have seized Kidal, a strategically important city in the north of the country. Fighting has become sporadic but regular, settling into a pattern of daily low-level conflict in the region. The conflict remains active, though its intensity has dropped compared with the start of the offensive.