Mali: The Lightning Offensive That Reshaped the Sahel Between State Decapitation, Russian Withdrawal, and the Return of the “Algerian Factor”
Within just a few days, the Malian crisis has changed in nature. What is unfolding is no longer merely a chronic deterioration of security, but a rupture event : a simultaneous offensive targeting several strategic nodes, an apparent breakdown in the chain of command, a rollback (or retreat) of Russian allies in the North, and a rapidly reconfigured regional diplomatic game. At the heart of this sequence, a structural reality resurfaces: Algeria’s geopolitical centrality within the Sahelian architecture —not by proclamation, but through geographic, security, and diplomatic constraints. Three days after the attacks, the situation remains confused. Key northern and central localities (including Kidal, Gao, Bourem, Konna, Sévaré and Mopti) are reported to have fallen or are being contested, while the transitional executive in Bamako projects the image of a power in retreat, at times silent. The head of the transitional authorities had not reappeared publicly by the date in question, befor...