Russia’s Africa Project Crumbles As Mali Burns

Mali’s military junta is on the brink after a coordinated weekend offensive by Al-Qaeda’s JNIM and Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front killed Defence Minister Sadio Camara in a car bomb at his Kati home.

The jihadists struck Bamako airport, military bases and provincial capitals simultaneously, while Russian Africa Corps mercenaries reportedly withdrew from the rebel-held northern city of Kidal.

The unprecedented JNIM-FLA alliance marks the most serious challenge to junta leader Assimi Goita since his 2020 coup.

Moscow’s gambit of replacing French and American security partners with paid mercenaries is unravelling fast as Bamako braces for collapse.