Mali's Military Faces Second Wave of Coordinated Attacks in Ten Weeks

Mali's military was hit by simultaneous attacks on five positions in July 2026—the second nationwide offensive in ten weeks. Both involved JNIM, an al-Qaeda-linked group, and the FLA, a Tuareg separatist militia. The pattern suggests the junta's Russia-backed security strategy has failed to stop insurgent planning, threatening the government's legitimacy, which rests on defeating these groups.