Azawad: just like Nauru

Tuareg rebels who overran much of northern Mali after disaffected soldiers toppled the government in the south declared an independent state called Azawad today, cementing the division of the former French colony as its neighbors began drawing up plans for military action to tackle the twin crises of the coup and the apparent secession. The declaration came within 24 hours of the northern rebels declaring a cease-fire, saying they had completed military operations after achieving their objectives — the capture of a string of settlements in a lightning advance across the desert north of the country. But they've got a fair bit to go before they can call themselves a country. For starters, they just rushed in without deciding on a capital unlike the other recent secessions. There are other separatist regions who had already decided on a capital before becoming independent (for instance, Pristina was already the seat of government for Kosovo before its independence in 2008), and there are some who aren't independent yet but already have capitals (for instance, Tiraspol is the capital of Transnistria). However, Nauru doesn't have an official capital either.