West Africa analyst Dr. Nathaniel Powell stated that the jihadist group operating in Mali does not appear capable of seizing and holding an urban area for long. While Bamako is not under immediate threat, the long-term outlook for the capital remains poor.

Speaking with FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney, Dr Nathaniel Powell, West Africa Analyst at Oxford Analytica and Research Associate at Lancaster University's Centre for War and Diplomacy, explains that the jihadist group operating in Mali, JNIM, "does not appear to have the capability to seize and hold an urban area for any length of time, so Bamako is not yet under threat of being captured, but the long term prospects certainly do not look good".