Mali (a vast, landlocked Sahel nation that has been under military rule for most of the past 14 years) was struck by a wave of unprecedented coordinated attacks on Saturday, as the al-Qaeda-affiliated group JNIM (Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin) and Tuareg rebel fighters simultaneously targeted military sites in and around the capital Bamako, as well as northern cities including Kidal, Gao, and Mopti. Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in the assault, and Russian mercenary forces based near Bamako's airport came under fire, with reports suggesting Russian fighters withdrew from the northern town of Kidal without engaging rebel forces — a significant shift given Russia's role as the ruling junta's primary security partner. The scale and coordination of the offensive, described by analysts as unprecedented, underscores a deepening security collapse under military leader Assimi Goita, who seized power in 2021 on a promise to restore stability but has yet to make a public statement following the attacks.