Author: Olayinka Ajala, Senior lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Leeds Beckett University

Russia suffered significant blows to its reputation in mid-2024. An attack on its territory by Ukraine came as a surprise. In west Africa, the Wagner mercenary group, supported by Russia, suffered one of its heaviest fatalities in Mali. An alliance of Tuareg rebel groups known as the Permanent Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad joined forces in late July with Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, a coalition of four terrorist groups operating in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The rebel-terrorist alliance attacked a Malian army contingent which was supported by Wagner fighters. After three days of heavy…