Mali's Tuareg Rebels Threaten Regional Security Efforts

In northern Mali, Tuareg rebels have managed to expand their presence south toward the Niger River after beating back an attempt by the Malian military to liberate the northern town of Kidal. Though the Tuareg conflict is of only limited significance to Mali's internal affairs, the government's loss of control over northern Mali and the military's inability to take it back could threaten France's long-term goal to establish security in the Sahel. If a new security vacuum forms in northern Mali, it could exacerbate the combination of transnational jihadist elements and weak and unstable regimes that already threatens the region.