Gunfire in Mali as army battles 'terrorist groups'

Coordinated armed assaults rocked Bamako, Kati, Gao, Sévaré and Kidal simultaneously — five cities in one day. Lead with the geography: this is not a localised insurgency but a nationwide push that reaches the junta's seat of power in Bamako. Junta-ruled Mali has expelled French and UN forces, paid Russian Africa Corps mercenaries, and yet jihadist groups are striking deeper than ever. The angle: what happens when a sovereignty-by-mercenary model fails the basic test of holding territory.