what lies ahead for Mali’s military government after shocking rebel attacks

residents across Mali were jolted awake on saturday by the echoes of gunfire and explosions in coordinated assaults that pierced the capital, Bamako. attackers brazenly stormed the city, assassinated the defence minister and seized control of northern territories.

an alliance of two militant groups—the separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and the al-qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM)—publicly claimed responsibility for the offensive.