FLA-JNIM seizes most of Gao, traps Russian forces

The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and al-Qaeda-linked Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) have captured most of the strategic city of Gao in northern Mali, trapping Russian forces in the process. In a significant development, initial reports and circulating footage now indicate that members of the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi nationalist movement from Western Sahara, are active in the ongoing offensive on the side of the FLA and JNIM. This suggests a potential expansion of the conflict's regional dimensions, drawing in a new external actor. The offensive marks a major escalation in Mali's long-running security crisis.