MALI RECAPTURES KIDAL!

Since 2014, Mali's northern town of Kidal has been in the hands of rebels. The occupation was brought to halt on Tuesday, when Mali's military rolled in after a nine-year absence. It comes days after UN peacekeepers abandoned their camp near the town due to the ‘worsening security situation.'

The roots of Mali’s security crisis - as elsewhere in the Sahel - lie in the NATO intervention in Libya that toppled Muammar Gaddafi, which saw fighters flood the region after the war. For over a decade since, the most vulnerable have paid the highest price for the West's misadventures. 40% of Burkina Faso, for example, lies under rebel control. The Sahelian security crisis has led to a round of coups, resulting in the eviction of French troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and, most recently, Niger. These countries have since formed a military alliance.

The recapture of Kidal shows that this was a wise move. African nations are better off relying on each other than on outside ex-colonial powers. The recapture of Kidal saw jubilant celebrations in the Malian capital Bamako, and encourages optimism among Sahelians everywhere.