Despite historically having difficulty maintaining alliances between secular and Islamist factions the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad allied itself with the Islamist groups Ansar Dine and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and began the 2012 Northern Mali conflict.
Meskipun secara historis mengalami kesulitan mempertahankan aliansi antara kelompok sekuler dan Islam, Gerakan Nasional untuk Pembebasan Azawad mencoba bersekutu dengan kelompok Muslim pimpinan Ansar Dine dan Al-Qaeda di Maghreb Islam dan memulai konflik di bagian Utara Mali pada tahun 2012.