In January 2012 a Tuareg rebellion began in Northern Mali, led by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad. In March, military officer Amadou Sanogo seized power in a coup d'état, citing Touré's failures in quelling the rebellion, and leading to sanctions and an embargo by the Economic Community of West African States. The <answer>MNLA</answer> quickly took control of the north, declaring independence as Azawad. However, Islamist groups including Ansar Dine and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), who had helped the <answer>MNLA</answer> defeat the government, turned on the Tuareg and took control of the North with the goal of implementing sharia in Mali.
What group declared independence as Asawad?
MNLA