Mali has in recent years become the stage for one of Africa’s most severe security crises. The regime of Assimi Goita, who seized power through a military coup in 2020 by toppling President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, now finds itself trapped between Tuareg insurgents, terrorist organizations and economic collapse.
In early November 2025, the advance of the al-Qaida-affiliated group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) toward the capital Bamako sparked international debate over whether the Malian state was on the brink of collapse. Beyond its physical advance, JNIM’s blockade of major routes across the country has paralyzed fuel distribution for weeks, disrupting daily life nationwide. As the crisis deepened, several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, issued travel warnings and urged their citizens to leave Mali.
From the 1960s to Goita
The current security and governance crisis in Mali can be understood through a historical lens. Although Mali gained its political independence from France in 1960, the country remained subject to France’s neocolonial influence in political, military and socio-economic affairs for decades. Modibo Keita, the first post-independence president, adopted socialist policies, but his rule was overthrown in a 1968 military coup, usheri
Continue Reading on Daily Sabah
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.