A Tuareg, courtesy of Wikimedia, 
Author Amine loua, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

Geopolitical analyst extrardinaire Peter Zeihan reports on yet another umiliating retreat by Putin at Russia’s periphery, now from Mali in Africa.

Excerpt:

The Russians are getting the boot from the Sahel, and it’s all thanks to an unusual alliance between Tuareg separatists and a local branch of Al-Qaeda. These rivals have teamed up in Mali to drive back the Africa Corps, Russia’s paramilitary force.

When the French withdrew from the region, the Russians stepped in and picked up operations. However, maintaining control in the region is no easy feat, and the Russians are figuring that out. The Sahel’s harsh geography, the war in Ukraine, and now, jihadist groups partnering with Tuareg separatists, are all weakening Russia’s position

Without reinforcements or easy extraction points, this could turn into an embarrassing retreat from the region for Russia.

Slava Ukraine!