Separatist–al-Qaeda alliance shifts Mali conflict

An unprecedented battlefield partnership between the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM has transformed northern Mali's conflict, with a joint offensive on April 25, 2026 posing the most serious challenge to the Malian army and Russian Africa Corps in years. The alliance emerged after the collapse of the 2015 Algiers peace deal and successive coups, with both groups setting aside ideological differences to confront a common enemy. Their cooperation could have far-reaching implications for Sahel security.