War is about to begin in the Sahara Region

Northern part of Mali, called Azawad is a de facto independent state since few months after being occupied by Tuareg rebels and islamic extremists.

The interim government in Bamako is helpless and the only help that Mali is waiting for depends on whether the United Nations Security Council allows ECOWAS (Economic Community Of West African States) troops to restore order in the country.

Map of Azawad  with major cities

A french infographic map of the Azawad Conflict.

 
Meanwhile in Timbuktu the Islamist fighters destroyed at least eight Timbuktu mausoleums and several tombs, centuries-old shrines reflecting the local Sufi version of Islam in what is known as the “City of 333 Saints”. (Reuters)

(Encyclopædia Britannica)

Update (July 6, 2012): The UN Security Council has said it is not ready to back a West African intervention force in northern Mali, which has been seized by Islamist militant groups. A UN diplomat told the BBC that the council wanted more details: "Before endorsing an Ecowas force, we would need a clearer plan, more information about what the objectives are, and more evidence that such a force would have a reasonable chance of meeting those objectives." (BBC)