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First modification: 04/28/2026 - 19:17

Al-Qaeda-affiliated militants and separatist rebels launched an offensive against several cities in Mali and assassinated the defense minister of the military junta that rules the country. The episode occurs when this Sahel nation has not yet fully recovered from the coups it suffered in 2020 and 2021.

It is an unprecedented alliance in the fight for control of territory in Mali. The so-called Liberation of Azawad (FLA), and the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM), which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda, spread terror last weekend in this Sahel nation.

The first seeks autonomy for the north of the country, and the second, the imposition of an Islamic State. Two different objectives, but with a common enemy: the military junta that has ruled since the 2021 coup d'état, and which they challenged with a series of attacks in various parts of the territory, one of which ended the life of the Minister of Defense, Sadio Camara.

The offensive also ended with the capture of Kidal, a city near the border with Algeria and from which the paramilitary Africa Corps, formerly known as Wagner, and which is supported by Russia, were forced to withdraw.

In this Africa Seven Days broadcast we analyze the role of each of these actors, the origin of the new outbreak and its implications, not only for Mali but also for the rest of the region.

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