BAMAKO - A rebel group declared the independence of northern Mali from the Western African nation on Friday, according to a statement posted on its website.

While proclaiming independence, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) said it was halting all military operations from midnight Thursday as a result of their successful conquest of the Azawad.

The rebel group also stressed its firm commitment to create the conditions for lasting peace and initiate the institutional foundations for a state based on a democratic constitution for an independent Azawad.

Meanwhile, the MNLA's executive committee called on the international community to immediately recognize the independent state.

The Tuareg rebels are now in control of three northern towns - Timbuktu, Kidal and Gao - after President Amadou Toumani Toure was toppled in a military coup last month for his failure to provide means for the military to curb the rebellion in the north.