`` For the Islamists , a human being is like an ant you squash , '' Gao resident says . Residents : Once vibrant northern Mali is now a shadow of itself . ` ` Home is not sweet anymore , '' Timbuktu native says . Everybody panicked ' Though Gao has a majority Muslim population , most residents practice a more relaxed form of the religion . The Tuareg are still fighting for their independence from Mali, but they have been pushed back by French and African troops in recent months as part of Operation Serval.
`` For the Islamists , a human being is like an ant you squash , '' Gao resident says . Residents : Once vibrant northern Mali is now a shadow of itself . ` ` Home is not sweet anymore , '' Timbuktu native says . The Tuareg are still fighting for their independence from Mali, but they have been pushed back by French and African troops in recent months as part of Operation Serval.