Mali: The Conflict Enters a New Phase

Now that French forces have fended off a jihadist push into southern Mali and have driven militants out of northern Mali's main population centers, the Malian conflict appears to be entering a new phase. During this phase, France will make way for African forces and will put renewed focus on re-establishing the Malian democratic process and spurring negotiations between Bamako and Mali's Tuaregs. The coming weeks and months will entail an intervention largely in line with what was planned before the militants' own offensive, which prompted the French intervention.