Mali’s desert riders

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Tuareg schoolchildren from the town of Kidal rehearse Mali's national anthem in preparation for the upcoming national holiday. Thomas Kern

A local religious teacher, known as a Marabu, teaches students to read and recite the Koran. Although most Tuareg practice Islam to some degree, they are not considered Arabic. Thomas Kern

Youth discuss upcoming national day festivities at a community meeting in the town of Kidal. Young, unemployed men are currently the main source of recruits for armed groups that operate in the region. Thomas Kern

A schoolhouse covered in graffiti stands abandoned in the region of Farache. The Tuareg have gained some autonomy over the past decades through gathering and using weapons. Thomas Kern

The village of Gargandou is one of the oldest Tuareg villages and was populated even when most Tuareg tribes led nomadic lives throughout the year. During that time, it served as a teaching centre for children. Thomas Kern

An abandoned car serves as a reminder of the Tuareg uprising in Mali during the mid and late 1990s. Thomas Kern

This middle class Tuareg family lives in Mali's capital Bamako. Currently, most Tuaregs lead sedentary lives in the villages bordering the Sahara desert. Thomas Kern

Children learn the Koran in a religious school. Thomas Kern

A sandstorm approaches the small village of Tizicoré. Thomas Kern

The Sahara region is one of the poorest and least developed parts of the planet. In 2012, more than 18 million people in the region were affected by famine. Thomas Kern

It is prayer hour in the house of the local caretaker of the Segou water well. Segou is an important trading post and market town in the region. Thomas Kern

Timbuktu is a historically important post along the trans-Saharan caravan route and was also a centre for the expansion of Islam in the 14th century. Today, the city is controlled by Islamist groups and has seen considerable unrest in the recent Mali conflict. Thomas Kern

A young Tuareg wears a traditional indigo headscarf. Thomas Kern

A wedding of the Songhai people - one of Mali's many ethnic groups - is held at the only remaining large hotel in Timbuktu. Thomas Kern

A pick-up basketball game takes place in the village of Kidal. Thomas Kern

An elderly Tuareg man sits at a roadside restaurant on the way to Kidal. Thomas Kern

A local customs officer's home stands near Mali's border with Mauritania, which is very difficult to patrol effectively. Thomas Kern

The community of Kidal discusses its contributions to the upcoming celebrations of Mali's national holiday. Thomas Kern

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The nomadic Tuareg people who live between Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Algeria and Libya have been fighting for increased autonomy for more than 50 years. Their plight is closely linked to the crisis unfolding in northern Mali.

Swissinfo.ch photographer Thomas Kern travelled to northern Mali to find these “blue men” of the desert, who have now largely given up their nomadic lifestyle. Kern visited the area between 2001 and 2004, before Islamic radicalists arrived in the region.