Mali security crisis: what lies ahead for the junta

The Mali junta, led by Colonel Assimi Goïta, faces its most critical moment yet after a co-ordinated rebel offensive rocked the nation. Gunfire and explosions erupted across multiple cities, including Bamako, the capital, where defence minister Sadio Camara was assassinated. The offensive, spearheaded by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and the al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), has already claimed control of northern areas, including the historic city of Kidal.

Residents in cities such as Gao and Timbuktu woke to alarming reports of rebel movements advancing south from Kidal. The FLA’s spokesman, Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, declared their ambitions to take Gao city: