Mali army battles militants in Bamako with support from Russia's Africa Corps
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Apr 25
Mali army battles militants in Bamako with support from Russia's Africa Corps
13 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Apr 25
Mali's army is fighting armed militants attacking barracks in Bamako and other regions, with Africa Corps, Russia's new security force, assisting outside the capital.
The attacks began Saturday morning and included explosions and gunfire near key military sites, prompting flight cancellations into Bamako as fighting continues.
Mali's junta, in power since 2020, faces ongoing insurgencies from jihadist and Tuareg groups, having replaced UN and French forces with Russian mercenaries for security support.
With French and UN forces gone, are jihadist attacks on Bamako the new normal?
After Russia's Africa Corps reduced its combat role, can Mali's junta survive escalating attacks?
Is the Sahel's military alliance exporting Mali's instability to West Africa's coastal nations?
Can a new human rights lawsuit hold Mali's army and its Russian allies accountable?
Is Mali's 'blood gold' funding Russian mercenaries while global markets look the other way?
Mali’s April 25, 2026 Coordinated Jihadist Attacks: Escalating Violence, Humanitarian Crisis, and Regional Instability
Overview
On April 25, 2026, jihadist groups JNIM and ISSP launched coordinated attacks across Mali, targeting key cities and military bases. These assaults caused widespread fear, displacement, and worsened food insecurity, especially in the Ménaka region. The Malian army and Russian-backed Africa Corps forces responded but struggled to contain the violence, highlighting ongoing security gaps worsened by the withdrawal of French and UN forces. JNIM’s economic blockades and ISSP’s kidnappings further cripple Mali’s economy and deepen humanitarian crises. Weak governance, corruption, and climate pressures fuel instability, while Mali’s reliance on Russian mercenaries undermines the junta’s legitimacy and risks regional spillover, threatening broader West African security.