Mali: Mali's Security Crisis Holds Warnings for Nigeria - Here's Why

Mali and Nigeria, two of the countries in the Sahel region of west Africa, are separated by approximately 1,000 kilometres, with the Niger Republic between them. They differ in… Read more »

Mali: Mali's Military Leader Is Consolidating Power. Why This Is Dangerous

Malian officials announced on 4 May 2026 that junta leader General Assimi Goïta would take on the post of defence minister after the killing of General Sadio Camara a week… Read more »

Mali: Mali Attacks - Tuareg Grievances Hold the Key to Peace

The precarious security situation in Mali took a turn for the worse in late April 2026. Well coordinated attacks targeted several cities and claimed the lives of the defence… Read more »

Mali: Mali's Armed Groups Fill a Government Vacuum - Addressing This Is Key to Ending the Violence

Mali has been in a state of political turmoil since 2012. That year saw a military coup as well as armed groups taking over northern regions of the west African country. In the… Read more »

Mali: Mali's Maestro of African Salsa - How Boncana Maïga Shaped Dance Music

The passing of celebrated Malian flautist, composer and arranger Boncana Maïga at the age of 77 truly marks the end of an era in the music of west Africa. Read more »

Mali: Bamako Is Under Pressure, Not Under Siege - the Difference and Why It Matters

Mali has been struggling for over a decade to defeat "jihadists" around Gao, Kidal and Ségou. Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), linked to al-Qaida, is believed to… Read more »

Mali: Bamako Under Siege - Why Mali's Army Is Struggling to Break the Jihadist Blockade of the Capital

When the military overthrew the democratically elected government in Mali in 2020, coup leader General Assimi Goita promised to root out jihadists in the north of the country. Mali… Read more »

Mali: Jihadists Have Blockaded Mali's Capital. What's At Stake

A coalition of jihadist groups affiliated with al-Qaida have laid siege to landlocked Mali's capital. For over a month, they have attacked convoys supplying Bamako with fuel,… Read more »

Mali: Why an Armed Group Linked to Al-Qaida Is Gaining Ground in Mali

Mali's military regime is coming under increasing pressure from Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), an armed group linked to al-Qaida that now controls large swathes of… Read more »

Mali: One Coup Leads to Another, History Shows

Immediately after Mali's unpopular president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, was removed on Aug. 18 by the military in a swift and bloodless coup, many Malians celebrated. Read more »