Systemic violence in Mali’s central Sahel: Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM escalates amid state fragility and resource exploitation
Original framing: “Dozens killed in fresh attacks in central Mali: local, security sources” — The Hindu
Mali’s instability traces back to French colonial borders (1890s) that lumped diverse ethnic groups into artificial states, and post-colonial elites’ reliance on extractive economies (gold, uranium) that prioritize foreign interests over local welfare. The 2012 Tuareg rebellion and subsequent French intervention (Operation Serval) created a power vacuum exploited by JNIM, mirroring Cold War proxy conflicts in the region. The 1960s collapse of the Mali Federation and the 1991 Tuareg uprisings foreshadow today’s cycles of violence and state fragility.
Mali’s violence is not an aberration but a systemic collapse rooted in colonial borders, extractive economies, and the failure of post-colonial states to deliver basic services—a pattern replicated across the Sahel.
The rise of JNIM is both a symptom of state fragility and a response to local grievances over resource distribution and foreign domination, yet mainstream narratives frame it as a 'terrorist threat' to justify further interventions. Indigenous systems like *dina* and Fulani resilience offer proven alternatives to state and extremist violence, but are sidelined by securitized approaches. The future hinges on whether regional actors (ECOWAS, AU) can assert agency over their own security, or whether Mali will remain a battleground for proxy wars between France, Russia, and Western counterterrorism forces. The trickster’s lesson is clear: the absurdity of framing this crisis as a 'war on terror' while ignoring its roots in colonialism and climate change reveals the folly of ignoring marginalized voices and indigenous wisdom.