The following is a timeline of major events during the Northern Mali conflict.
2012
January
16 January - 17 January: Battle of Menaka between the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and the army of Mali. On the 17th, fighting spread to towns of Aguelhok and Tessalit. 24 January: Battle of Aguelhok between the MNLA (and possibly Islamist groups like Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa) and the army of Mali. When they surrendered, 97 members of the army of Mali were killed.
February
1 February: After regaining the town of Ménaka after the battle in January, the military of Mali retreats and the MNLA takes the town over. 2 February: Large-scale protests against the violence in the north take place in Bamako, the capital of Mali, and cause disruptions and shut down much of the city.
March
5 March: Units of the military of Mali fail to end the siege of the military garrison in Tessalit that had existed for weeks. 10 March: Spiritual leaders in Mali issue a call for peace. 12 March: The MNLA (and allies) take over Tessalit. 14 March: Rebel forces took control of the towns of Diré and Goundam. 21 March: soldiers dissatisfied with the course of the conflict attacked Defense Minister Sadio Gassama as he arrived to speak to them at the Kati military camp. 21 March- 22 March: 2012 Malian coup d'état, disgruntled soldiers took over the capital city and on the morning of the 22nd, Amadou Konare went on state television, which identified him as the spokesperson of the National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy and State (CNRDR), formed by the renegade soldiers. Konare declared that the soldiers had seized power from 'the incompetent regime of Amadou Toumani Touré' and said it would look to hand over power to a new, democratically elected government. The coup was "unanimously condemned" by the international community, 30 March: Rebels captured Kidal and Ansongo and Bourem in Gao Region. 31 March: Rebels take over Gao.
April
1 April: Rebels attack Timbuktu Reports that Ansar Dine takes over the city and chases away MNLA fighters. 2 April: ECOWAS and Mauritanian and Algeria place wide-ranging sanctions on the military government of Mali. 3 April: Armed groups looted 2,354 tons of food from United Nations' World Food Programme's warehouses in Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu, causing the WFP to suspend its operations in northern Mali. 4 April: Civil society and 50 political parties in Mali refuse to take part in a discussion with the military government on plans for the future. 5 April: Islamists, possibly from AQIM or MOJWA, entered the Algerian consulate in Gao and took hostages. 6 April: The MNLA declares independence of the northern part of Mali. 8 April: The National Liberation Front of Azawad (FNLA) announced its formation and intention to oppose Tuareg rule, battle the MNLA, and "return to peace and economic activity"; the group claimed to consist of 500 fighters. 8 April: President Amadou Toumani Touré resigns and Dioncounda Traoré is named interim President.
May
4 May: Ansar Dine members reportedly burned the tomb of a Sufi saint. 14 May: Protesters and the MNLA clashed in the city of Gao, reportedly injuring four and killing one. 26 May: MNLA and Ansar Dine agree to merge and create an independent state together. This alliance falls apart days later.
June
8 June: MNLA and Ansar Dine forces fight with one another in Kidal, killing two in the skirmish, as a result of protests in the city opposed to the imposition of Sharia law. 26 June - 27 June: Battle of Gao started when protesters opposed to Tuareg rule by the MNLA resulted in two deaths (allegedly by MNLA forces). MNLA and MOJWA began fighting in the city of Gao, resulting in an injury to Bilal ag Acherif, the MNLA Secretary General, and a retreat of MNLA from the city and others. 29 June: Islamists are in charge of most of northern Mali and the MNLA holds few cities. 30 June: Destruction of tombs in Timbuktu by Islamist forces.
July
29 July: A couple was stoned to death by Islamists in Aguelhok for having children outside of marriage.
August
9 August, Islamist militants chopped off the hand of an alleged thief in the town of Ansongo, despite a crowd pleading with the militants for mercy.