Since 2012, Mali has faced a volatile crisis as political armed groups, including ethnic based movements, jihadist groups and transnational criminal networks, fight for hegemony and the control of trafficking routes in the North. The 2015 peace agreement remains very difficult to implement and signatory groups still resort to violence to settle differences. Jihadist violence against security forces is increasing and militants have gone rural to capitalise on local conflicts and the absence of the State to secure safe havens and new recruits. Mali’s instability has regional consequences as violent extremism spills into neighbouring countries. Through field research, timely reports and advocacy with regional and local actors, Crisis Group seeks to broaden understanding of the complex roots of violence in Mali via local, gendered and regional lenses and to find solutions to problems of governance.
Dans cet épisode d’Afrique 360°, Enrica Picco et Floor Keuleers reçoivent Oumou Sall Seck, maire de la ville malienne de Goundam et ancienne ambassadrice du Mali en Allemagne, et Ornella Moderan, chercheuse spécialisée dans les questions de sécurité et de gouvernance au Sahel, pour parler des inégalités de genre dans la perpétuation des violences et la construction de la paix au Sahel.
Govt and Russian paramilitary forces suffered significant losses against separatists in north; crackdown on critics continued amid easing of restrictions on political party activities.
Dozens of Russian forces reportedly killed in Kidal region, violence in centre continued. Govt with support from Russian paramilitary group Africa Corps (formerly Wagner Group) 22 July recaptured Inafarak town (Kidal) near Algerian border from separatist Permanent Strategic Framework (CSP) armed group coalition; troops pushed on to Tinzaouaten town but suffered heavy defeat in fighting 25-28 July; unconfirmed reports suggested dozens of Russian paramilitaries killed including local commander in perhaps deadliest incident to date for Russian forces in Mali. Meanwhile, local sources and civil society groups 5 July reported discovering mass graves containing dozens of civilian bodies near Abeibara village (Kidal) after military operations in late June. Also in north, Islamic State Sahel Province 1 July allegedly killed Ismaguil Ag Arahmat, pro-Bamako military leader of Movement for the Salvation of Azawad, in Gao town (Gao region). In Mopti region (centre), al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) fighters 1 July killed at least 21 civilians at wedding in Djiguibombo village; 21 July allegedly attacked Dembo village, killing 25 civilians.
Repression continued as govt lifted three-month ban on political party activities. Court 8 July sentenced PM Maïga’s close aide, Boubacar Karamoko Traoré, to one-year imprisonment for “undermining the credibility of the state” for letter that criticised govt. Authorities 12 July arrested Youssouf Daba Diawara, associate of govt critic in exile Imam Mahmoud Dicko, and 15 July charged him with “opposition to legitimate authority”. Meanwhile, authorities 10 July re-authorised political party activities which had been suspended in April, same day invited parties to resume national dialogue; several party leaders 15 July said they would boycott consultations while their political partners remained in detention.
Sahelian states reiterated break from ECOWAS. Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – bringing Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger together – 6 July held summit in Niger’s capital Niamey, to discuss joint military operations and reaffirmed decision to leave West African regional body ECOWAS (see Burkina Faso, Niger); President Col. Goïta named inaugural leader of rotating presidency of AES heads of states.
The jihadists have deeply ingrained themselves into the local landscape [in northern Mali]. [That] has made it much harder to uproot them.
MONUSCO has largely failed [in DR Congo] because its deployment has not had a significant impact on security over the past decade.
The Malian army is now demonstrating its ability to organize complex operations, particularly in the center of the country.
What we see in Mali is that Russia does not bring more security or improvements in the situation. The Russian army in Ukraine is not doing well, and in Mali, the Wagner G...
In northern Mali, fighting has resumed between armed groups signatory to the 2015 peace agreement and government forces, even as clashes with jihadists continue. Bamako's initiative for an inter-Malian dialogue constitutes an opportunity to restore calm.
Fighting has resumed between the Wagner Group-supported Malian army and a coalition of armed groups that signed the 2015 peace agreement, jeopardising the accord. Crisis Group experts Ibrahim Maïga and Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim explain what caused these clashes and what each side could lose.
At Bamako’s request, the UN Security Council has begun drawing down the UN peacekeeping operation in Mali. In this Q&A, Crisis Group experts Richard Gowan and Daniel Forti explore the implications for blue helmet missions elsewhere on the continent.
On 16 June, Bamako asked the UN Security Council to withdraw the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). In this Q&A, Crisis Group experts Jean-Hervé Jézéquel and Ibrahim Maïga look at the reasons behind the Malian authorities’ decision as well as its consequences.
Crisis-ridden Mali and Burkina Faso face jihadist insurgency and political turmoil. In this excerpt from the Watch List 2023 – Spring Update, Crisis Group outlines what the EU and its member states can do to prevent these two countries from falling into further regional isolation.
In a strategic shift, the Malian authorities have turned away from France and chosen Russia as their main military ally. Relations between Bamako and other Western and regional partners are also deteriorating. Mali and its partners should work to rebuild more balanced diplomatic relations.
The UK, Côte d’Ivoire and other nations plan to pull their troops out of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, clouding its future as it undergoes internal review. In this Q&A, Crisis Group experts discuss the mission’s challenges and scenarios for what could come next.
The Malian government’s battle with jihadist insurgencies goes on after two coups in Bamako in the last two years. In this excerpt from the Watch List 2022 – Spring Update, Crisis Group urges the EU and its member states to endorse talks about a return to constitutional rule, increase support for civil society and back electoral reform initiatives.
In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard Atwood and Naz Modirzadeh talk with Sahel experts Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim and Richard Moncrieff about France’s announcement it will pull troops from Mali, and what the withdrawal means for the fighting against jihadist insurgents.
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