Mali

An estimated 3,000 Malians marched Wednesday through the streets of Bamako on the country's day of independence from France. Protesters, many of whom were against what they perceive as "foreign meddling," marched in support of the military government, as Colonel Assimi Goita, Mali's interim president, faced pressure from Western governments to cancel a deal with Russian security firm Wagner.

Successive coups in August 2020 and May 2021 have thrown Mali into turmoil as violence persists in rural areas. While their track record so far has been disappointing, the transitional authorities can still materialise the call for change and hold transparent general elections in 2022.

European Union ties with Mali could be seriously affected if it allows Russian private military contractors to operate in the country, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned on Monday (20 September).

The head of the Islamic State group in the Sahara has been killed by French troops, President Emmanuel Macron has said. … Mr Macron called Sahrawi's death "another major success in our fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel".

Germany joined France on September 15 in expressing concern about reports of an agreement between Mali’s new military rulers and the Vagner Group, a Russian military contractor with ties to the Kremlin.

Burkina Faso and Mali agreed Tuesday to mount joint military operations against jihadist groups who have ravaged Africa’s Sahel region, Malian Defense Minister Sadio Camara said Tuesday.

The West African bloc ECOWAS said on Tuesday that it feared potential delays in elections in Mali aimed at restoring civilian rule following a coup last year. In a statement, the group said it remained "worried by the lack of concrete action" to prepare for the vote, which has been promised for February 2022 by strongman Colonel Assimi Goita.

Mali's interim government on Saturday condemned an armed police protest that led to the liberation of a special forces commander detained for allegedly using brute force to quash protests last year. 

The colonels who rule Mali have repeatedly said they will restore civilian rule in early 2022, but with less than six months to go before promised elections, doubts about the timetable are deepening.

The chaotic aftermath of Washington’s troop withdrawal from Afghanistan is being followed with a mix of trepidation and glee thousands of kilometers away — in Africa’s Sahel, where another foreign power, France, also vows to wind down its long-running counterinsurgency operation, at least in its present form.