Analysts note that Mali's military structure is severely strained by the combination of separatist movements and jihadist insurgencies. The convergence of political, territorial, and military fractures is dangerously weakening the state's authority.

Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Paul Melly, Consulting Fellow on the Africa Program at Chatham House. According to Melly, what we are witnessing is the convergence of multiple fractures: political, territorial, and military. The recent attacks illustrate a dramatic expansion of jihadist operational reach into the very heart of state power. While the Malian state might not be collapsing outright, its authority is stretched dangerously thin across Africa's 8th largest country. The withdrawal of...