In May 2026, the Malian Armed Forces deployed cluster munitions and submunitions in Northern Mali, marking a novel development in the ongoing Malian and broader Sahelian conflict. The Soviet-era weapon, which has been seen in relatively recent use in the Syrian and Russo-Ukrainian conflicts, is deployed as an anti-personnel and secondarily as an area-denial weapon meant to disrupt movement and accessibility to the targeted area. While it does not herald a broader strategic shift by the Malian Armed Forces vis-à-vis counterinsurgency, its timing – occurring in the aftermath of the dramatic April 2026 JNIM-FLA offensive across the country – suggests Bamako is under pressure to weaken its foes and perhaps even punish a civilian population it perceives as undermining its sovereignty.
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