As army and armed groups clash, Indian nationals are taken ‘hostage’, raising concerns Mali’s crisis may resonate beyond the region.
Sikasso, Mali – The Kayes region, which borders Senegal and is vital to Mali’s economy, had remained largely untouched by the violence from armed groups that has rocked the country for several decades.
But that changed when armed men waged a string of coordinated attacks on military installations in several Malian towns last week, after which the country’s armed forces launched a counterattack that it said killed 80 fighters.
The uptick in violent clashes between armed fighters and the Malian army – who are being assisted by Russian paramilitaries known as the Africa Corps – comes as the country’s political future looks murky, experts say, with the military-led government seemingly determined to permanently extend its rule.
For more than a decade, Mali has faced rebellions from separatist movements and armed fighters, including the two most active groups – ISIL affiliate, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), and al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
