![Three Russian mercenaries in northern Mali.](https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/mali-conflict-france-insurgency-jihadist-corruption-shadow-government-04122023-1.jpg?w=519&h=259&crop=1)
Mali’s government is struggling to assert its authority as more communities fall to various Islamist groups. After a decade of faltering counterinsurgency efforts, it might be time to take a closer look at the biggest obstacle to stability —the Malian state’s chronic inability to counteract shadow governance structures.