Is There Any Way to Stabilize Mali?
An assessment of whether Mali can be stabilized as jihadist insurgents, separatist forces, and Russia-backed security partners reshape the conflict across the Sahel.
Simon Whistler • May 22, 2026
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Note: this transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or inconsistencies.
The African nation of Mali is coming apart at the seams. Across Mali's open desert heartland, a powerful jihadist insurgency is gathering territory, besieging cities and forcing the nation's troops into a constant bloody retreat.
In the north, a well-armed separatist movement is aligned with the jihadists to launch a recent joint-offensive, it hopes that they can carve out their ancestral homelands and form a self-contained proto-state.
In the shadows, and even more insidious forces, awaiting for its chance to strike, the Islamic State. Rapidly accumulating fight as well, and even territorial control.
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