Mali’s junta struggles to fight growing violence in a northern region as UN peacekeepers withdraw

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali’s military junta is struggling to fight growing violence in the West African nation’s hard-hit northern region. That’s after a peace deal signed several years ago with rebels appeared to have collapsed and as the U.N. peacekeepers who helped fight jihadi groups begin to leave. Conflict data shows the violent attacks in the country have never been this frequent since 2020. Analysts say the ongoing withdrawal of the 17,000-member U.N. force has overstretched the Malian military’s capacity to stem violence. That’s resulted in a growing number of deadly attacks by both the jihadi groups and the former rebels, all eyeing new opportunities to dominate and control more regions.