Tuareg rebels declared the independence Friday of an area of northern Mali they seized late last month, according to dpa. The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad made the declaration of autonomy for the region it calls Azawad on its website. It called on the international community to recognize the new nation and said it would respect the borders of neighbouring states. The UN Security Council on Wednesday condemned the rebel attacks in northern Mali and called for an end to the violence. The rebels took the historic city of Timbuktu at the weekend with the help of Islamist groups. It made gains after the army withdrew from Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal after Mali's government was ousted in a March 22 coup by soldiers protesting the lack of resources to fight the rebellion in the north.
