[TheConversation] Several of Mali’s major cities experienced coordinated attacks in April by a new coalition of jihadists and separatist groups.
As the coalition took over the town of Kidal in the north of Mali, images of Russian troops being escorted out of the town after negotiations were cabled out across global media.
Russia, now in the shape of Africa Corps and previously the Wagner Group, has been the Malian military’s external security partner since the beginning of 2022. It replaced French and European troops from the counter-terrorism operation Barkhane and Taskforce Takuba. France had deployed a force of 5,000 troops from 2014 to 2022. European special forces numbered 1,000 between 2020 and 2022. Both missions were forced to leave as relations between France and the Malian junta grew tense.
The strategic realignment, from western and multilateral forces to Russian troops, expanded in the region. In Burkina Faso, which experienced two coups in 2022, the French troops were expelled at the start of 2023, as 200 Russian troops moved in.
In the summer of 2023, the Malian authorities also kicked out the decade-old 13,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission. Niger’s junta, which took power the same year, followed suit and expelled the EU’s operations in the country six months later, before accepting a few hundred Russian troops.
During the past decade I have researched external security interventions in the Sahel and analysed their justifications, development on the ground, and consequences for political and security environments.
I conclude from my research that the external interventions have not stabilised the region. More than a decade after the first major interventions, the Sahel is more fragmented, militarised and violent than before.
Yet the persistence of insecurity also serves political purposes.
For military juntas, the jihadist threat justifies continued rule and repression. For Russia, the region has become a showcase for anti-western influence and security partnerships in Africa. For western actors, jihadist expansion, migration concerns and fears of regional instability are used as reasons for security engagement despite repeated failures.
The complex interactions between these actors have resulted in a continuous, strategic circle of violence, where civilians are the first victims.
ON THE GROUND
On the ground, interventions have often evolved in unpredictable ways through ad hoc decisions and informal interactions between local and external actors.
[Fronts] The nation of Mali is in a state of chaos, with a complex power struggle that began in 2012. Learn about the four main actors in this war and the history behind
by Brant Philip
The nation of Mali is in a state of what we might charitably term “meltdown”. On 25th April, coordinated attacks by terrorist and insurgent groups paralyzed the country, killed leading government figures, and placed the capital of Bamako under siege. Three weeks later, the nation remains in chaos.
To an outside observer, that chaos may have seemed to spring from nowhere. But while rarely in the headlines, the Malian conflict is an ongoing power struggle that began in 2012. Key players have evolved over time, some merging into coalitions and others splitting into factions. To truly grasp the complexity of today’s escalating tensions, it’s vital to understand the four main actors in this war. What follows is a quick primer for anyone new to this most-overlooked of conflicts.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Mali's April 2026 crisis marks a new phase in a war rooted in post-colonial borders and defined by four competing armed factions.
JNIM and the FLA have forged an operational alliance that retook Kidal and struck Bamako despite their ideological differences.
The Malian junta's reliance on Russian mercenaries has fueled civilian massacres, enabled jihadist expansion, and stripped the government of territorial control.
The Islamic State's Sahel branch remains doctrinaire and isolated, refusing alliances while expanding recruitment into northwestern Nigeria.
THE MALIAN STATE
The independent state of Mali was established in 1960 following roughly 70 years as a French colony. It was originally part of the Mali Federation, which included Senegal, though Senegal seceded shortly after independence. More importantly for this primer, post-independence Mali suffered an eyewatering number of coups, rebellions, and insurgencies.
In 1968, the first Malian coup d’état was carried out by a group of military officers led by Moussa Traoré. He secured his power as head of state until 1991, suppressing three attempted coups. But while Mali in this era may have had fewer armed takeovers than certain neighbors, it suffered from another ill common to post-colonial nations: armed insurgency.
As across West Africa, the Malian borders were drawn by foreigners with little to no consideration for the ethnic, linguistic, and cultural differences between local groups. The consequences began almost-immediately after independence, starting with the first Tuareg rebellion in 1962.
Although this was crushed with grim-if-admirable efficiency by the Malian army (and its backers in Morocco and Algeria), this swift victory would in turn inspire additional rebellions, largely due to the brutality of the Malian army.
The most-spectacular of these was the second Tuareg uprising, which kicked off in 1990. At its root was frustration in the country’s north about a lack of autonomy and opportunities compared to those in the south. And while Moussa Traoré initially tried his old tactics of brutal dissent, his replacement by Alpha Konaré resulted in a government more open to negotiation. Konaré granted several concessions to the north, which led to the creation of the self-governing region of Kidal and the redirection of more resources to the area. These concessions ultimately led to a ceasefire in 1996.
In hindsight, what was most-significant about this second rebellion was the arrival of Iyad Ag Ghaly onstage. As the leader and founder of the People's Movement of Azawad (MPA), he both navigated the complex peace negotiations, while simultaneously laying the groundwork for his future role as a central figure in the regional insurgency. Although he began his career as a secular nationalist fighter, Ag Ghaly’s trajectory would eventually take a radical turn. One that would fundamentally reshape the Malian conflict in the 21st century.
In this, Ag Ghaly was helped by his time working abroad as a diplomat for the Malian state. While in Saudi Arabia, he began to move away from the secular Tuareg nationalism of his youth toward a hardline Islamist vision. So, when he was passed over for a leadership position in the newly formed National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) in the early 2010s, he instead founded Ansar Dine. This group sought to impose Sharia law across Mali, creating a deep rift between the secular rebels and the rising Islamist factions.
Come January 2012, all these rebellions finally reached crisis point. The MNLA launched brutal attacks against Malian army camps in the north, with a spokesman officially announcing their struggle to free themselves from "Malian colonialism" and declaring the independence of Azawad, which included the regions of Kidal, Gao, and Timbuktu.
Almost simultaneously, in March that year, Ansar Dine under Iyad Ag Ghaly announced its own war against the Malian state. Only rather than a Tuareg homeland, the group’s goal was to establish an Islamic republic under Sharia law, a goal that brought it into immediate opposition with the secular, democratic MNLA.
[PJMedia] "Russia is considering limiting exports of diesel and jet fuel," Bloomberg and other sources reported Tuesday, "as refinery run rates fall to multi-year lows amid Ukraine’s escalating attacks." An Interfax source claimed that the decision to ban exports is at "an advanced stage," but no date has been set.
If it comes to pass, that would be bad for diesel prices and inflation right here at home, but worse for Moscow's finances. Just the fact that the Kremlin is considering an export ban is more evidence that Kyiv's drone campaign is increasingly effective — against Russia's energy production at home, and closer to the frontlines in Ukraine.
The brutal math is that most months this year, Ukraine managed to kill or wound more Russian soldiers than Moscow was able to recruit. After nearly four-and-a-half years of remorseless attritional warfare, that's not a good place to be. And it wasn't supposed to happen this way.
ISW's George Barros said on Monday, "The war in Ukraine has entered a new phase."
Well, maybe take a statement like that one with several grains of salt. While ISW's reporting is rock solid — everything they post in their daily Russo-Ukraine War updates is open-source and verifiable — the organization's analysis can be somewhat (ahem) less reliable.
Estimates vary, but ISW believes that Russian forces suffered a net loss of territory in April, while others claim it happened in April and in February. There are still a few days of fighting to go in May, but Russia is believed to maybe have lost a little ground again this month.
Through the end of April, Russian advances in 2026 average about 2.9 km² per day, down sharply from 9.76 km² per day in early 2025. Russian casualties are much higher, too.
Two things seem to have changed. One is that Ukraine finally has enough mid-range drones to do to Russian forces what Russian forces spent 2025 doing to Ukraine: interdicting soldiers and logistics well behind the front lines "by fielding new technologies such as the US-made Hornet strike UAV, among other systems," as Barros put it.
The other is that Ukraine is now systematically going after Russian fuel trucks, further complicating Moscow's logistical problems.
💥 Map of drone strikes on logistics on the M14 and H20 highways over the past two months, - @oko_gora_tg
Approximately 50 geolocated targets were identified. Not all footage can be geolocated, and not all footage is published online. pic.twitter.com/plbfRDBlI0
Trent wonders if the losses are "enough to cause fuel shortages, fuel rationing & the shutdown of civilian motor traffic between Crimea and Russia?"
Regardless, Kyiv spent 2025 giving up ground, yes, but also destroying Russian air defenses faster than Russian industry can replace them. The bloody results speak for themselves on the ground, and in Moscow's concerns over fuel exports.
With no end in sight to this stupid war, there's no doubt in my mind that Barros is correct when he says that "Ukraine’s advantage in intermediate range strikes is notably not permanent," and that "Russia will very likely eventually develop countermeasures to mitigate Ukraine’s advantages."
[NYPost] The most shocking thing about Jill Biden divulging that she thought her husband, the president of the United States, was having a stroke during his disastrous debate against Donald Trump is that she so casually says this during a television interview two years later.
She’s admitting to a crime against the American people — and expecting sympathy for it.
This is on the level of Edith Wilson running the government while Woodrow Wilson was bedridden.
It is a scandal of historic proportions.
Jill Biden knew how bad things had gotten with the president.
She knew that he could only operate within a narrow of window of time every day.
That he had trouble answering questions and was easily confused.
Yet she not only defended him, she pushed him to stay in the race — and, more important, stay on as president.
It is detestable that so many liberals covered up Joe Biden’s mental decline.
It’s even worse that, after all of America saw it for themselves during the debate, Biden did not resign — nor was he removed via the 25th Amendment.
[FoxNews] Heir to the Levi Strauss fortune and an imbecile
New York Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman is fast becoming the Marie Antoinette of New York politics. As democratic socialists rage against the privileged elite and promise sweeping welfare programs, Goldman is doubling down on promises of more impeachments and investigations. The ultimate establishment candidate is floundering.
He is reportedly more than 20 points behind his Mamdani-endorsed opponent, housing advocate and former Comptroller Brad Lander. It appears that the "let-them-eat impeachments" is not resonating with his constituents.
While Goldman is trying to fight off the challenge from the left with some pocketbook pitches, he is sticking to the narrative that got him elected a few years ago. In an "age of rage," Goldman has excelled, pushing unstepped on, unadulterated rage.
Since his entry into politics, he has run on what was viewed as the sure winner in New York politics: obsessive, unending attacks on President Donald Trump. Goldman made sure that no one was more enraged at all things Trump, all the time.
In this campaign, Goldman has returned to the same theme of promising new investigations and impeachments.
Goldman claimed recently on MS NOW that he will lead any impeachment of Trump. ("[Maryland Democrat Rep.] Jamie Raskin and I will be leading investigations into Trump’s corruption, into all of the cabinet officials.")
Even as his polls showed him trailing Lander, he was promising on May 18 that he had yet another basis to impeach Trump over his $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund," a settlement fund that is expected to go to people investigated and prosecuted over the Jan. 6 riot.
Some of us have criticized the creation of the fund as irregular and lacking congressional consultation. That is not to say that Trump is not right about the violation over the leaking of his taxes or the abuses that occurred after Jan. 6.
In a March 22, 2021, interview with CBS News, Justice Department official Michael Sherwin declared the department wanted to send a message with the harsh treatment of defendants "to ensure that there was shock and awe." The result was excessive measures against some who were simply present at the protest or did not engage in any violence.
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Despite my objections to how the fund was created, it is neither illegal nor impeachable in my view. These settlement funds have long been left to the discretion of the Justice Department, and past administrations have made generous settlements with politically aligned groups.
However, the race in the 10th District may answer a more important question than another impeachment frenzy in Congress.
The question is whether Goldman and other candidates can secure another term on rage alone. We will soon know whether Goldman’s "let them eat impeachments" pitch can override the bread-and-butter policies of Lander or New York Democrat Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
It is not that anger has lost its cachet, but the subject has changed as socialism sweeps over the Democratic Party, particularly in New York.
In this "eat-the-rich" environment, Goldman is hardly a natural fit in modern Democratic politics. He is no "one percenter," mind you. He is the guy the one percenter looks on as privileged and entitled.
The question is whether Goldman and other candidates can secure another term on rage alone.
As emphasized by Lander in his campaign, Goldman inherited his vast wealth as heir to the Levi Strauss family and is worth more than $200 million. He reportedly has at least three luxury homes in Atlantic Beach on Long Island, Manhattan and Water Mill in the Hamptons.
He seems to be the perfect example of the super-wealthy denounced by New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez when she insisted that "you just can’t earn" a billion dollars. In Goldman’s case, he was born into such wealth. Goldman is not the antagonist, but the embodiment of the socialist scourge.
To be fair to Goldman, he hasn’t focused on being an average Joe with shared life experiences. He has made himself known to the establishment as someone willing to enthusiastically do those things that repel others.
When attacks on ICE personnel increased exponentially, including attacks shown on television, Goldman denied seeing examples of such increasing attacks.
When evidence mounted of then-President Joe Biden’s alleged influence peddling, it was Goldman who denied the corruption, insisting that they were just honest businessmen making money.
When evidence mounted of the Biden administration coordinating a massive censorship system, it was Goldman who dismissed such concerns.
When other Democrats decried the Biden administration’s seizure of members of Congress’ phone records, Goldman ran out to downplay the attack on the legislative branch.
When the administration sought to investigate those burning Teslas and dealerships by protesters, Goldman denounced it as a "political weaponization" of the legal system.
Lander continues to attack Goldman over his inherited wealth and for pouring huge amounts of his own money into the race. Despite the dismal polling, Goldman has outspent Lander in the campaign, vowing to match every donated dollar with his own money.
In this campaign, Goldman has returned to the same theme of promising new investigations and impeachments.
It is shaping up as the ultimate race of the socialist wing of Mamdani and Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders with Lander versus the establishment with Goldman.
Nevertheless, Goldman is an example of how the impeachment frenzy is likely to continue as members search for new targets to curry favor with voters.
On May 21, Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen announced he would file frivolous articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts "for compromising the credibility of the court."
That may not be enough for Dan Goldman, who could find himself the latest establishment casualty of the very mob that they hoped would keep them in power.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/28/2026 08:18 ||
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Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
[Breitbart] There is majority support for President Donald Trump’s agenda ahead of the highly anticipated midterms, a McLaughlin & Associates survey conducted on behalf of Tea Party Patriots Citizens Action (TPPA) found.
The survey, first reviewed by Breitbart News, demonstrates broad support for the Trump agenda ahead of the midterms, despite misleading narratives from the establishment media, who claim division among MAGA.
For instance, while the establishment media and Democrats have continued to mock President Trump for stressing the need for a complex added to the White House – namely, a secure ballroom which now has more additions underground – 59 percent of respondents agreed that Congress has an obligation to fund it.
Trump is “on strong ground politically” on that issue, according to chairman of Tea Party Patriots Action Jenny Beth Martin, who noted that the survey itself was taken “before the most recent security incident at the White House over the holiday weekend,” referring to the shooting incident on 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue on Saturday.
Further, the survey also asked respondents about the SAVE America Act, noting that it requires proof of citizenship to register to vote as well as photo ID when voting. A majority, 56 percent, said U.S. senators should continue to work to pass the key legislation prior to the midterm elections. Related to that, the vast majority, 82 percent, agree that only U.S. citizens should be allowed to vote in elections “for the American president, senators, and representatives” – a position strongly held by President Trump and his allies. The survey also examined the issue of birthright citizenship and found 58 percent agreeing that birthright citizenship should only apply to children born to U.S. citizens or individuals who are legally in the country on a permanent basis.
Additionally, nearly three-quarters of respondents agree that legal immigrants who “choose to make America their home should learn English, embrace American tradition and values, and become part of this country” — another belief held strongly by Trump and his allies.
Other highlights in the poll include 81 percent agreeing that stopping waste, fraud, and corruption should be a top priority, 83 percent holding the belief that Congress should “require a permanent system to detect and prevent fraud before taxpayer money is spent,” and 70 percent agreeing that cutting government fraud is “the most direct path to bringing prices down.”
Martin said this shows that Trump’s political instincts are “dead on,” pointing to his recent announcement appointing Vice President JD Vance to head an anti-fraud task force.
“Strong majorities want action against fraud in government programs – they believe that Congress should require a permanent system to detect and prevent fraud before taxpayer money is spent; they believe that stopping waste, fraud, and corruption should be a top priority; and they believe that cutting government fraud is the most direct path to bringing prices down,” she said.
The survey also showed broad support on the belief that Iran should not be allowed to “block, attack, mine, or extort ships in the Strait of Hormuz” – 71 percent.
“President Trump’s broad political and legislative agenda boasts strong support from the overwhelming majority of voters,” Martin said. “Whether the issue is funding serious security upgrades to the White House complex or cutting government fraud as a means to bringing prices down, or preventing Iran from controlling the Strait of Hormuz or ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal aliens – or passing the SAVE America Act – President Trump’s agenda is a winner.”
Ahead of the midterms, the survey found that economic issues – inflation, the cost of living, the economy, jobs, interest rates, taxes, and more – top the list of things respondents find most important.
The survey was taken May 12 -18 among 1,000 general election voters. It has a +/- 3.1 percent margin of error. It comes as Trump continues to dismiss establishment claims of division among MAGA on his agenda.
#3
When Democrats whine and go to court about:
* Required Voter ID,
* Required Proof of citizenship,
* The dead can't vote,
* No photocopy ballots,
* 1 US 18+ y/o citizen, 1 vote enforcement,
* 24/7 Election monitoring,
* and the removal of gerrymanders districts based on color.
All these prior to an election. Then there is some hope maybe we'll have the 1st real election in many years.
Either way, this election has required the Liberals, Socialists and Democrats to develop new ways to commit their usual voter fraud.
#4
It's very likely that the two big drivers for the mid terms is cost of living, including gas prices and whether the Iran situation is resolved in our favor.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
