The Mali junta and its Russian mercenary partners are in "damage control mode" as their reputations hang in the balance amid recent attacks and a governance crisis. Experts suggest the junta struggles for control while Russia's effectiveness is under scrutiny. Meanwhile, Tuareg separatists and jihadists maintain a tactical alliance against the government.

Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Ulf Laessing, Director of Regional Sahel Programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Mr Laessing offers a stark assessment, framing recent attacks within a broader crisis of governance. The junta is struggling to project control while relying on an increasingly compromised external partner. Russia must now demonstrate it is “actually of any use.” All the while, the alliance between Tuareg separatists and jihadist forces is described as purely “tactical: they c...