Al-Qaida affiliate attacks Mali army bases as junta struggles to contain jihadist threat

A Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM)-linked group launched an attack on a Mali army base in Timbuktu, triggering fires and shootings. At least 30 soldiers were killed by Sunday's strike near Burkina Faso, as JNIM has emerged as a growing security threat alongside Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) since 2012. The region remains a hotspot for terrorism, with recent clashes involving Russian-backed mercenary groups exacerbating local instability. Mali's junta faces challenges amid rising indiscriminate killings and growing tensions in the Sahel, while regional cooperation efforts are increasingly focused on the Liptako-Gourma convergence area.