Mali is being torn apart by the Russian mercenaries its military rulers invited in — bad news for civilians, and a slow-motion disaster for the country.

• After a 2020 coup, Mali's junta kicked out France and brought in Russia's Wagner group (now Africa Corps) to fight jihadists.
• The Russians have killed civilians in huge numbers — over 5,000 dead between 2023 and 2025, with Russian fighters involved in nearly half.
• They target the Fulani and Tuareg ethnic groups, which only pushes more people to join the insurgents they're supposed to be fighting.
• The two main rebel groups have now teamed up, nearly overran the capital in April, and killed the defense minister.
• Russia mainly keeps the unpopular junta in power ("coup-proofing") in exchange for gold and mining rights, while avoiding actual fighting.

Outlook: A bloody stalemate looks set to grind on — the rebels can't take the whole country, but the junta and its Russian backers can't beat them either.