As Mali’s military leadership clings to power while insurgents tighten their grip, citizens face an impossible dilemma: surrender to the advancing jihadists or accept the junta’s faltering rule. The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, has escalated its campaign with coordinated assaults, followed by a strategically placed blockade around Bamako and the reoccupation of Kidal by separatist forces. General Assimi Goïta’s regime, now six years into its rule, continues to assert control despite mounting evidence of its strategic failures.
