MALI

In 2025, Mali is in a state of widespread warfare across multiple fronts, against a backdrop of a total rupture with its former Western partners, growing diplomatic isolation, and the increased militarization of power. The country is ruled by the military junta led by Colonel Assimi Goïta, which has abandoned any democratic transition and organized non-credible presidential elections in early 2025 that were boycotted by the opposition.

On the security front, the situation is catastrophic. The withdrawal of the French Barkhane force and MINUSMA (UN) has left the field open for armed groups : 

jihadists from JNIM (linked to Al-Qaeda) and ISGS (affiliated with the Islamic State) control vast swathes of territory in the north, the center, and up to the fringes of the country's south. 

Concurrently, Tuareg armed groups from the CMA (Coordination of Azawad Movements), previously signatories to the 2015 Algiers Accord, are once again in open warfare against Bamako following the military recapture of Kidal by the Malian army in late 2023.

The Malian army conducts brutal campaigns with the support of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group, replaced by the Africa Corps, who are now officially integrated into the armed forces. These operations are marred by massive human rights violations, notably in the Mopti, Gao, Ségou, and Timbuktu regions, involving massacres of civilians, arbitrary detentions, summary executions, and looting.

The center of the country, around Mopti and Djenné, is the theater of intercommunal violence fueled by the presence of armed militias. Fula, Dogon, and Bambara communities clash regularly in a context marked by the collapse of state authority.

On the humanitarian front, the figures are alarming : more than 2.5 million people require urgent assistance, hundreds of thousands are internally displaced, and entire areas are cut off from humanitarian aid. Schools, healthcare centers, and markets are regularly targeted.

The Malian regime, openly hostile to France and its European allies, is aligning itself with Russia, Iran, Turkey, and China. It has also left ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) alongside Burkina Faso and Niger, attempting to build a new regional military alliance. This stance exacerbates its economic and diplomatic isolation.

For foreign nationals, the risk of kidnapping, terrorist attack, or execution is extremely high throughout the entire territory, including in the capital, Bamako, where security is rapidly deteriorating. All travel is formally discouraged, except for highly managed humanitarian missions.