The Deadly Consequences of Global Power Plays in Mali’s Refugee Crisis

In the unforgiving deserts of Mauritania, thousands of Malian refugees endure makeshift shelters fashioned from strips of fabric and tree branches—barely sufficient protection against the merciless Sahel sun. They fled their homeland not just from militants linked to al-Qaida, but from a tangled web of foreign interventions that have turned West Africa into the world's deadliest hotbed for extremist violence. The tragic scenes documented by Associated Press photographers—beheadings, village burnings, and horrifying abuses attributed to Russia’s newly deployed "Africa Corps"—are grim reflections of how Moscow’s expanding footprint disrupts regional stability. This shadowy unit replaced Wagner mercenaries six months ago after...