By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
There is an ongoing nationwide war waged by Islamists and separatists against the State of Mali in West Africa. On Saturday, the war took a new turn as Jihadists linked to al Qaeda and ISWAP pushed towards Bamako, the capital of Mali, attacking several targets at once in a bid to overrun the country and install themselves as the new government. On the same Saturday, the home of the Defence Minister, General Sadio Camara, was targeted, and he was murdered by the insurgents with a suicide car bombing that happened in the Kati area, near the country’s capital, Bamako.
Mali has struggled with rising insurgency and a steady onslaught from Jihadists and separatists who wanted an independent Islamic State for Northern Mali. The war, which is now over a decade old, has significantly affected life, fueling insecurity in the Sahel and increasing poverty and hunger in the West African country.
With a long history of government instability, Mali is struggling to constitute a government and is also dealing with the rising internal challenges. Between 2020 and 2022, Mali experienced three military coups. The transitional government of President Bah N’ daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, installed around 2021, was swept away in a coup led by Colonel Asmini Goita, which has been in place since 2022, leading to riots and violence that further deepened the crisis in the country.
With the latest concurrent attacks in various cities of Mali by Jihadists, Mali is a country on the verge of collapse, and the consequences would be severe for the entire Sahel region, especially those already battling the incursion of terrorism and terror-related war. Jihadists and rebels are reported to have taken over several communities and military installations across the country, signaling a show of force and boosting their confidence in the war.
Although Russia is helping Mali with weapons and boots on the ground to fight the insurgents, Islamic jihadists, and separatist groups have joined forces, prolonging the war and adding to the complexity of the crisis.
