The Take: How rebels teamed up to shake Mali and the Kremlin’s grip
Bamako woke to explosions as JNIM and Tuareg rebels attacked nationwide, killing Mali’s defence minister. Why now?
![A Malian soldier of the 614th Artillery Battery is pictured during a training session on a D-30 howitzer with the European Union Training Mission (EUTM), to fight jihadists, in the camp of Sevare, Mopti region. [Paul Lorgerie/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-04-21T131021Z_2050108698_RC2OTKAWXQQ0_RTRMADP_3_WESTAFRICA-SECURITY-1777557172.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
Explosions rocked Mali’s capital on April 25 as rebels carried out coordinated attacks across the country. Mali’s defence minister was killed along with his wife and children when an attacker struck their home. With Bamako under siege and the military leadership briefly disappearing from view, who is really behind the violence in Mali?
In this episode:
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Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Marcos Bartolomé and Sarí el-Khalili with Spencer Cline, Tuleen Barakat, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Tamara Khandaker.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer.
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