The junta and its Wagner Group allies are reopening battles with the former separatist as they race to take over the UN s bases, After a decade of the UN s 15,000-strong peacekeeping force operating in northern Mali, the region is adapting to its sudden departure. Two threats stand out: the insurgent Islamist groups heading southwards are capturing more territory in the Ménaka and Gao regions; and Mali s national army, backed by fighters from Russia s Wagner Group, are fighting former separatist groups for control of the UN s recently vacated bases in the region.