Malians head for the polls to vote for a president on 29 July as the country grapples with chronic insecurity.
It is largely fuelled by the ascendancy of jihadist groups in Africa's Sahel region, but the spectre of ethnic clashes and the lingering problem of Tuareg militias have also contributed to the atmosphere of insecurity.
An al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group has already issued a video warning people against voting.
The group, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), is now the main jihadist group in the country and it has been terrorising villagers in the expansive north – including the cities of Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal. Islamic State (IS) militants are also on the prowl.
The jihadists exploit the weak borders of the Sahel and are involved in kidnapping and human trafficking, as well as weapons and drugs smuggling, which finance…
