Russia Bet Backfires for Mali as Rebels Retake Pivotal Town

Insurgents recaptured a Malian town that had come to symbolize Russia’s promise of delivering on security where Western forces had failed.

Kidal fell during a coordinated weekend assault on military facilities across the country. The desert garrison had been under rebel control for about a decade until Malian soldiers and Kremlin-linked fighters — now operating under the name Africa Corps — wrested it back in 2023. It is now gone again.