Northern Malian self-defense militias are uniting and training young men and women how to fight, as they prepare for a future offensive to the North.
Mali's Self Defense Militias
![Women members of a self-defense militia calling itself the FLN (Front for the Liberation of the North) train in Sevare, about 600 kms (400 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako, July 11, 2012.](https://gdb.voanews.com/3034B718-A069-45BA-80BE-E31BD42D27B9_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Women members of a self-defense militia calling itself the FLN (Front for the Liberation of the North) train in Sevare, about 600 kms (400 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako, July 11, 2012.
![Women members of a self-defense militia calling itself the FLN (Front for the Liberation of the North) train in Sevare, about 600 kms (400 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako, July 11, 2012.](https://gdb.voanews.com/BA57DD34-22C7-499E-A4A0-DA9D77E82CBD_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Women members of a self-defense militia calling itself the FLN (Front for the Liberation of the North) train in Sevare, about 600 kms (400 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako, July 11, 2012.
![Members of a self-defense militia calling itself the FLN (Front for the Liberation of the North) train in Sevare, about 600 kms (400 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako, July 11, 2012.](https://gdb.voanews.com/E68956EA-EE38-4D14-BF9E-6FBAC67A9AAE_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Members of a self-defense militia calling itself the FLN (Front for the Liberation of the North) train in Sevare, about 600 kms (400 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako, July 11, 2012.
![People attend a training session at the FLN movement (North Liberation Forces) camp in Sevare September 24, 2012.](https://gdb.voanews.com/87AC3954-D75E-4840-AADC-05ABB3CB0012_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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People attend a training session at the FLN movement (North Liberation Forces) camp in Sevare September 24, 2012.