Azawad (Tuareg: ⴰⵣⴰⵡⴰⴷ Azawad; Arabic: أزواد ‎ Azawād) is a territory in northern Mali as well as a former short-lived unrecognised state. Its independence was declared unilaterally by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) in 2012 after a Tuareg rebellion drove the Malian Army from the territory.