Tuareg fighters launched uprisings in the Sahara in the 1960s and 1990s, and renewed rebellions since early 2007 against the central governments of Niger and Mali have increased instability in a region where al Qaeda cells also operate. Fighting in Niger's rebellion, instigated by the Niger Justice Movement (MNJ), has killed more than 300 rebels and around 80 government soldiers. The MNJ says it is fighting for equality with black Africans in the south of the country, more political autonomy and a greater say in the use of mineral resources from the north, which has a booming uranium mining industry.
MNJ is an organization of Tuareg rebels.