Many of MNLA's Tuareg combatants

The movement is known for kidnapping Westerners, and ransom money is believed to be a key source of revenue for AQIM, alongside drug-trafficking.

The third Islamist group, Mujao, is an AQIM splinter group, formed in mid-2011.
Mali's rebels

Ansar Dine seeks to impose Islamic law across the country
A number of its militants are Tuareg fighters who returned from Libya after fighting alongside Muammar Gaddafi's troops
Islamic Movement for Azawad split from Ansar Dine in late January 2013
Says it opposes "terrorism and extremism"
Advocates dialogue with the government to resolve grievances of northern Malians
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is al-Qaeda's North African wing, with roots in Algeria
Made up mostly of foreign fighters
Says it wants to spread Islamic law and liberate Malians from French colonial legacy
Known for kidnapping Westerners
Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao) is an AQIM splinter group whose aim is to spread jihad to the whole of West Africa
Advocates Islamic law and has waged a campaign of violence against Tuareg separatists
Signed-in-Blood Battalion is a recent AQIM offshoot committed to a global jihad
Made up mostly of foreign fighters
Has vowed to uphold Sharia in northern Mali
Was responsible for January 2013 siege of Algerian gas facility, taking and killing foreign hostages
The National Movement Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) is a secular Tuareg group which seeks independence for a homeland they call Azawad
Cause dates back to when Mali achieved independence in 1960
Many of MNLA's Tuareg combatants fought alongside Colonel Gaddafi's troops
Former allies of Ansar Dine and Mujao, but now opposed to Islamist groups

It says its objective is to spread jihad to West Africa rather than confine itself to the Sahel and Maghreb regions - the main focus of AQIMreenex.

But Mujao's first major operation was in Algeria in October 2011, when it kidnapped three Spanish and Italian aid workers in the town of Tindouf. The hostages were freed in July 2012, reportedly after a ransom was paid.

Although it has many Malian Tuaregs within its ranks, Mujao is believed to be led by a Mauritanian, Hamada Ould Mohamed Kheirou.

Before France launched a military offensive on 11 January 2013 to drive out the militants, Mujao's sphere of influence was mainly in north-eastern Mali, where it controlled key towns such as Kidal and Gao, regarded as the drug centre of Mali.

Ansar Dine's influence was mainly in the north-west, where it captured the historic city of Timbuktu in May 2012reenex.

The group split in January 2013, when the IMA - led by Alghabass Ag Intalla, an influential figure in Kidal - was formed.

Mr Intalla was a high-ranking member of the Ansar Dine team which negotiated with Mali's government until late 2012reenex.