The article reports that the United States is reportedly considering airstrikes against Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al Qaeda-linked group advancing in Mali. It argues that the prospect matters because JNIM has placed the capital, Bamako, under pressure and could make Mali the first country governed by a jihadist organisation if it succeeds.

Mali’s military junta, in power after coups in 2020 and 2021, moved away from French and US security support in favour of Russia’s Africa Corps, but the article says Russian-backed forces have struggled against jihadists. JNIM is blamed, alongside another group, for killing 50 Malian soldiers this month and is reported to have forced Russian units to retreat; analysts also cite Mali’s gold production and lithium deposits as potential factors in US interest. Experts caution, however, that limited strikes could not by themselves reverse Mali’s political decline or eliminate a resilient insurgency.